


Section 5: Kingdom

by VenomQuill



Series: Fallen Under- Underfell Novel [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: CORE, F/F, F/M, Fallen Under, Hotland, Snowdin, Souls, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, The Ruins - Freeform, Underfell, Waterfall, kingdom - Freeform, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-21 19:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9563735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenomQuill/pseuds/VenomQuill
Summary: Frisk and Flowey have escaped the blistering heat of Hotland and Electric charge of the CORE. The kingdom is large but hauntingly sad. The most tragic of tales has shaken this one lively home. The fire of Justice seeks to burn those who stand in the path of freedom, yet it's wielder...When Frisk comes face-to-face with the greatest decision of their young lives, will they find themselves able to fulfill their quest? Will they find that the nightmarish hell that they have experienced was too much? Will they ultimately decide the fate of the entire Underground?





	1. Storytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Determination

          A house, quite like the one in the Ruins save for the fact that it was completely monotone, stretched out before a young human child. A buttercup inside of a dull blue-purple backpack slung over their back was turned forward. When the young human walked in, they found that the house was almost the exact same layout as the quaint house that Toriel lived in way back at the beginning of the cavern. The gate to the stairs was closed by a two-lock chain. There was a note attached. Flowey read aloud, “‘Howdy! I’m in the garden. The keys are on the kitchen and the bedroom if you need me.’ Sounds like him.”

          Frisk hesitated and then went into the first bedroom, the bedroom that was in the same place as the one Toriel had offered. Two presents were there. Frisk looked about and touched the left bed.

          _“My bed.”_

          Curious, Frisk looked to the other bed.

          _“His bed.”_

           “Are there kids here?” Frisk prompted.

          Flowey shook his head. “Not anymore.”

           “Do you know-?”

           “No.” Frisk, taken aback by Flowey’s sharp attitude, turned away from him. Flowey piped up, “Open the presents. They’re for you.”

           “Are they? But there’s no note–”

           “Just do it.”

           “Okay.” Frisk opened the first. There was a little heart-shaped locket in it. They rubbed their fingers over the little silver heart. They could almost feel it beating.

          _“Heart Locket- Defense 15. It says ‘Best Friends Forever.’”_

          Frisk held it to their chest and opened the next one. A dagger was inside of it.

          _“Worn dagger- Attack 15. Perfect for cutting plants and vines.”_

          Frisk picked that one up, too. They looked at Flowey. He did not react. “Do these belong to someone?”

           “You,” Flowey stated. “Just… take them.”

          Frisk nodded. “Okay.” They heart locket fell over their chest. It turned a vibrant green. They took off the apron and put it away. They had to put away the pan, too, to hold the dagger. They turned and walked down the hallway. Two froggits bounded out from behind some vases of golden flowers. Frisk’s soul glowed and appeared before them.

          The first froggit croaked, “A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins.”

          The second continued, “Injured by it’s fall, the human called out for help.”

          Before Frisk could react, the two monsters hopped out of the house. Frisk turned around. A green key was on the desk. Frisk put it in their pocket before continuing down the hallway. Two Whimsums fluttered forth. Frisk’s soul appeared before them.

          The first whispered, “Prince Asriel, the king’s son, heard the human’s call.”

          The second one agreed, “He brought the human back to the castle.”

          The two then vanished. Unknown to Frisk, tears began to form in Flowey’s eyes.

          The dining room/living room set up was quite a bit like Toriel’s- down to the chair. However, the fire was out. Three moldsmalls jumped in front of Frisk. The first gurgled, “Over time, Prince Asriel and the human became like siblings.”

          The second piped up, “The King and Queen treated the human as their own.”

          The third continued, “The underground was full of hope.”

          The three gelatinous monsters rolled away. Frisk looked back at them before continuing into the kitchen. A key lay on the counter next to the stove. Frisk turned and walked back to the chains. They unlocked the chain and walked down the stairs. Two migosps met them.

          The first chattered, “Then… One day…”

          The second picked up where the first left off. “The human became very ill.”

          Frisk hadn’t made it far after that before three vegatoids popped out of the earth.

           “The sick human had only one request.”

           “To see the flowers from their village.”

           “But there was nothing we could do.”

          The three monsters popped back into the ground. Frisk continued. That poor child…

          Two looxes confronted Frisk and Flowey.

           “The next day-” the looxes stated at the same time.

          The first hesitated. The second went on, “-the human died.”

          Frisk put a hand over their mouth. The two monsters walked away. Flowey curled back his lip and wrinkled his nose as the words, and the meaning behind them, cut through him.

          Snowdrake, and perhaps his sibling or friend, met them. “Prince Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human’s soul.”

          Chilldrake picked up, “He transformed into a being with incredible power.”

          The two fluttered away. It wasn’t too long before Frisk stumbled upon three icecaps.

           “With the human soul, Prince Asriel crossed through the barrier.”

           “He carried the human’s body into the sunset.”

           “Back to the village of the humans.”

          The three icecaps wandered off.

          Frisk walked around a bend and continued. They walked until three Woshuas were in their path.

           “Prince Asriel reached the center of the village.”

           “There, he found a bed of golden flowers.”

           “He carried the human to it.”

          Flowey bowed his head deeper. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

          Frisk moved around another corner. The wall fell away to reveal the kingdom. Shyren, Aaron, and Moldbygg appeared.

          Shyren stated, “Suddenly, screams rang out.”

           “The villagers saw Prince Asriel carrying the human body,” Aaron agreed.

           “They thought that he had killed the child,” Molbygg stated.

          It was not long before Frisk found three dummies.

           “The humans attacked him with everything they had.”

           “He was struck with blow after blow.”

           “Prince Asriel had the power to destroy them all.”

          The three dummies floated away. Frisk soon came upon Knight Knight and Madjick.

           “But…” Knight Knight announced.

           “Prince Asriel did not fight back,” Madjick informed them.

           “Clutching the human,” Knight Knight continued.

           “Prince Asriel smiled and walked away,” Madjick finished.

          Madjick jumped into his hat and vanished. Knight Knight bowed her head. Frisk walked around them and continued.

          Three Final Froggits appeared before the young human. “Wounded, Prince Asriel stumbled home.”

           “He entered the castle and collapsed.”

           “His dust spread across the garden.”

          The three frogs hopped away. Frisk, biting their tongue, continued. Oh, Prince Asriel…

          Three Whimsalots stopped Frisk. “The kingdom fell into despair.”

           “The king and queen had lost two children in one night.”

           “The humans had once again taken everything from us.”

          The three fluttering monsters flew away, leaving Frisk to walk through the hallway again. This time, they were stopped by three Astigmatisms.

           “The king decided it was time to end our suffering.”

           “Every human who falls down here must die.”

           “With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever.”

          Frisk watched the three monsters leave. Frisk then walked in silence.

          Moldsmall, Loox, and Migosp appeared before them.

          Loox commented, “It’s not long now.”

          The three stated together, “King Asgore will–”

           “-let us go.”

           “-give us hope.”

           “-save us all.”

          These three stepped aside to allow Frisk to walk past them.

          Pyrope and two vulkins stopped them.

           “You should be smiling, too,” Pyrope pointed out.

           “Aren’t you excited?” the first vulkin prompted.

           “Aren’t you happy?” the second inquired.

          Frisk didn’t answer. They just kept walking.

          A froggit stood in their way. “You’re going to be free.”

          Frisk gave him a curt nod. The froggit turned and hopped away. Frisk reached the end of the hallway. Above, there was an elevator. Below was a path into a gold-and-red room. Frisk turned and walked down into the red and gold creation. A golden sparkle was just within the room. When Frisk touched it, the feeling of warmth and determination flooded through them. Yet no words came in response. Lights glimmered through stained glass church windows. Pillars rose up all around them. Frisk walked down the corridor. Flowey, teary eyed and silent, turned around to look in front of Frisk.

          Sans stepped out of the shadow of one of pillars. Frisk stopped in front of him. “So, you finally made it. You’re at the end. In a few minutes, you’ll meet the king and decide the fate of all of us.” Sans shut his eyes and chuckled. “let me tell you, kid. you are one surprising little thing, aren’t you?” His scarlet eyes met theirs. “you never fought a single monster. you might have been defeated over and over, but you never gave up. so many monsters gave you all the reason in the world to kill them. but you didn’t. you refused to fight. if you couldn’t reason with them, you ran. if they fought you, you endured every bit of pain thrown at you. you saw the good in everyone.” Sans’s grin faded in the slightest, though it didn’t disappear. “but that stops now.”

           “What?” Frisk inquired.

          Sans shrugged. “human, i know that you’ve made it your religious endeavor to befriend everyone. but, ah, that’s not how things work around here. i was willing to watch you go all through the underground. i waited pretty much everywhere to see who’d kill you. then, ah, i could deliver your soul to king asgore myself. i could just… brush alphys out of the way and become the true royal scientist. after all, i am much more qualified- in every way except i haven’t proven myself. then i won’t have to stay in my brother’s stupid shadow. so, human. anything you want to say before i end your life? hell i’ll give you a… final request- within reason.”

          Frisk stared at him. “But… why? Why can’t I just go to the king myself?”

           “it’s my job to guard the king, kid. earning a bit extra on the side is never bad. now, did you want that wish or should i kill you now?” Sans prompted.

          Frisk hesitated and then nodded. They took off their backpack. “Okay. Please don’t let anyone hurt Flowey- including yourself.”

           “heh. what else did i expect? sure thing, kid.” Sans waved his hand. The backpack turned blue. Flowey cried out in surprise as he was lifted into the air.

           “WHAT?! FRISK! NO! SANS, PUT ME DOWN! I’M NOT OKAY WITH THIS, FRISK! I’M NOT LEAVING YOU!” Flowey shrieked and struggled in the backpack.

           “No, Flowey. I’m sorry,” Frisk stated. “I’m doing this alone. If you try and help me, you’ll get hurt.”

          Sans hung the backpack over the door at the end of the hallway. It was immediately surrounded by a cage of bones. Flowey attempted to attack the bones with one of his vines. He failed. “No, Frisk! I’m not giving up! I swear to God, Frisk, I am going to stop you!” Flowey resumed attacking the cage with all he had- vines, pellets, and even his own head and teeth.

          Frisk looked over at Flowey. “I’m really, really sorry, Flowey.”

          Sans pointed out. “there’s a trans dimensional box over there. i saw you use one. oh, and if you try and run away, i’ll catch you so don’t bother.”

          Frisk strolled back to the box at the end of the corridor. They knelt felt around the box. The pie and the sweater was still there. Frisk folded the apron and set it and the pan in the box. They picked up the slice of cinnamon-butterscotch pie and set it on the floor beside the box. Their fingers brushed across the fluffy bunny. The memory of Sans reading them a bedtime story cut through their heart and mind like one of Captain Undyne’s spears. Frisk put on their black and red striped sweater and unsheathed their dagger. They felt a very strong presence beside them. The heart locket felt warm and the feeling of its heartbeat became more prevalent. It turned a vibrant red. Frisk touched the golden sparkle.

          _“Determination.”_

          Frisk took a deep breath and walked toward Sans. He glanced down at the worn dagger and laughed, “that puny little thing’s your weapon? what are you going to do, poke me?”

          Frisk stopped before him. “No. Sans, I don’t want to fight you.”

          Sans sneered. “i wouldn’t want to fight me, either.”

          Frisk’s soul beat before them.

          _Sans- Defense 5, Attack 10. HP 1. Forgettable._

           “flowers are blooming, birds are singing. kids like you…” Sans eyes grew dark. “should just give up and _die._ ” Sans left hand left his pocket. Red light swirled around his fingers. Frisk jumped back in time to miss the white and red bones. Frisk’s soul turned blue. They were thrown into the air and then slammed into the floor. They hit the floor with enough force to crack the tile.

          _Frisk- Defense 15, Attack 15. HP 20. Blind. Determined to SAVE monsters._

          Frisk, gasping and wheezing, attempted to get up. Their crushed ribs punished every movement, brought pain to every twitch of a muscle- including the expanding and contracting of their lungs. Sans’ hand went back into his pocket. A wall of bones shot up. _Shirk! Chink…_

 

          _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

 

          Frisk shook their head. They stood beside their box and pie. The young human turned and walked to Sans. The skeleton’s smile widened. “huh. i’m good at my job, eh? too bad i couldn’t take your soul. welp, time to try again.”

          Frisk jumped back to avoid the bones. Frisk’s soul turned blue. They were thrown into the air and dropped. Frisk waved their arms and braced themselves. They landed on the ground in a roll. Bones shot up. _Shirk! Chink…_

 

          _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

 

          Frisk immediately walked to Sans. The skeleton huffed, “odd. you’re still kicking? well, third time’s the charm. bye.” Frisk jumped out of the way of the first row of bones. After being thrown in the air, they landed in a roll. Frisk jumped back up to get away from the next bone attack. Bones raced up from an angle behind Frisk. Frisk was thrown forward. Somehow, the bones didn’t kill them. They attempted to dodge the next bout. The bones whacked them straight out of the air and threw them to the ground. Frisk whimpered and got up on one elbow. Their soul, severely cracked, hung before their chest.

          Sans’ right eye vanished. The left one glowed in bright red energy. Sans raised his left hand, glimmering in the same red energy. Skulls appeared out of thin air. The canine skulls were much larger than Frisk and Sans. Red pupils glowed in their eye sockets. All at once, they opened their jaws. Their bottom jaws split in two like a snake’s to open their mouths wider. Frisk’s entire world turned a brilliant red so light it was almost pink. _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

 

          _You cannot give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…_

 

          Frisk gasped and set a hand on their chest. They turned to Sans. Frisk approached him, still shaky on their feet. Their necklace faded into a pretty purple. The skeleton laughed. “hah. that look on your face. that’s the look of someone who’s died thrice in a row. haha… let’s make it four, shall we?”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “fifth right? nice.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “I w-won’t fight you!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “human, just give up.”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “Sans, I swear that I will _never_ give up- not on you, not on anyone!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “back again?”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “I don’t care how many times you kill me. I. Won’t. Give. Up!”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “heh. kinda happy you came back. i’m having a great time here.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “Sans, please. I’m not going to hurt you!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “just give me your soul and i’ll stop fighting you.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “This isn’t how it has to be, Sans. You know I’d rather die than harm a soul- including the king and including you.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “i’d say that your death could be arranged, but it already has been. ha!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “I’m not changing my mind, Sans. I won’t fight you!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “how many times are we going to do this, human?”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “Please, Sans. Stop this. Just… relax. We can get through this.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “what are you trying to accomplish? i’m going to kill you!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “You can kill me a hundred times, Sans, I don’t care. But I’m going to do what’s right.”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “if it’s about doing what’s ‘right’ then i’d suggest giving up your soul.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “I’m going to talk to King Asgore.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “you won’t talk to anyone ever again, kid.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “ha! you are determined, aren’t you? too bad that won’t make a difference.”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “I’m _determined_ to save you! All of you!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “the most ‘determined’ thing you can do right now is to, ah, completely give up.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “I will never give up, Sans. Not on you, not on anyone.”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “kid, the pain won’t stop. no matter what you say, i’ll always be right here to meet ya.”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “Sans, please… listen to me!”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “Sans, please… just listen…”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “Sans… please…”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “Sans…”

          _Jzzzzurrree-chuuuuueeeeeereereereer! Chink…_

           “Please…”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

           “P-please…”

          _Shirk! Chink…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans is having a great time.


	2. Believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Frisk is sparing you.

          Frisk appeared before the golden sparkle. They tried to move, but instead slumped to their knees. The worn dagger skittered away from them.

           “how many times?” Sans goaded. “when are you going to learn to just _quit?_ _”_

          Flowey, still hanging from the doorway, watched them with round eyes. “Cha- Frisk! No! Don’t give up! Hang in there!”

          Frisk opened their eyes. They saw nothing but the gold and red blur of the floor and the black and red of their sweater and pants. A little purple heart dangled from a chain around their neck. Yet, as it tapped against their frail chest, it dulled into a sharp silver. The young human took a deep breath and shook their head. “I’m sorry, Flowey. But I don’t know how much more I can take.”

           “it’s easy!” Sans crowed and wave his arms before him. “just give up!”

          Flowey hissed at Sans and then turned to Frisk. “Don’t! Frisk, I believe in you. This isn’t who you are. You’re kind! You’re brave! You’re _determined!”_

          Frisk shut their eyes and shook their head. “No, Flowey. Think about it. This is just going to happen again and again. I’m going to try and talk to Sans and then he’ll kill me. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. So… why bother?”

           “Why bo- Frisk! No, that’s not you!” Flowey cried. “Stop it! Stop it _now!_ ”

          Frisk shut their eyes and shook their head. “You can have the pie if you want.”

          They could hear Sans take a few steps forward. A heat, a body of energy, warmed the clothes on their left. A hand, small and pale like Frisk’s, landed on their shoulder. Frisk didn’t look up. Chara’s presence surrounded them like a heat. _“Frisk! Stay determined.”_

           “I can’t,” Frisk mumbled. “What am I doing?”

          _“Giving up,”_ Chara stated. _“You are giving up. Your determination is fading. Soon, Flowey’s determination will overcome yours. Soon, you won’t be able to reset. If you die, you won’t be able to pull yourself back.”_

           “But what’s the point?” Frisk inquired with a short shrug. “Why? What does struggling do? Nothing. You can’t make your dreams come true through determination. It’s not possible.” Sans’ feet stopped before them.

          _“The point? Your life is the point. But you do not realize that, do you? Then let me ask you another question: if you will not fight for yourself, would you fight for Flowey?”_

           “Of course,” Frisk stated immediately. “But he’s safe! Sans wouldn’t… he… he wouldn’t hurt him.”

          _“Who’s going to stop him once you’re dead? Who’ll believe Flowey when Sans betrays him?”_ Chara inquired. A red bone materialized before Sans. He raised his hand.

           “I will.”

          _“Determination. You will defeat Sans. You will not kill him, but you will defeat him. Fight, Frisk! Fight! Fight for what you believe in. Fight for WHO you believe in! Now!”_ Chara’s voice hissed. _“I will help you.”_

          Sans chuckled, “better luck next time, kid. see you in the next life.”

          The scarlet bone came down and then shattered. Frisk’s dagger, now held stead-fast in their hand, cut through the attack like a hot knife through butter. Their heart locket flashed a brilliant scarlet. Sans’ eyes widened in surprise. Frisk lunged and stabbed the air near Sans’ head. He teleported back. Frisk gave chase. Any time he tried to summon an attack, he left himself open for another potentially lethal attack. Their once brown eyes glimmered in a light just as red as Sans’. They were clear, bright, nearly glowing with a light of their own. Frisk now saw Sans in perfect clarity. The rest of the world was still a blur. Even their soul faded into a red mess of color.

          Frisk hesitated. Sans looked… cool. The gold fluff in his coat was a complete opposite of the black of his coat. His grin held a gold fang. Did he always have that? Odd; they never noticed. They didn’t notice the small yellow chain in his pocket or the minute designs of gold in his collar and shoes. How did Toriel look? Papyrus? Captain Undyne? Dr. Alphys? Mettaton?

           _“Concentrate!”_ Chara scolded. Frisk shook themselves, only slightly embarrassed.

          After Frisk’s third strike, Sans got over his surprise. He raised bones from the floor. Frisk dodged them. From the ceiling and midair, bones struck at them. Frisk dodged them. Chara sliced through the ones they were unable to evade.

           “finally fighting back, i see?” Sans sneered and teleported away from another attack. “stooping to my level? finally losing that cute, innocent façade that you love so much?”

          Frisk stood up straight and glowered at him. “No. Sans, being nice doesn’t mean being defenseless. Being kind doesn’t mean rolling over. It means that you care for people and you believe in people. When you truly care for something, someone, there is _nothing_ you won’t do. Yet murder isn’t a consequence of fighting. Murder is a consequence of _losing._ ”

           “losing? hah!” Sans laughed. “so when i killed you all those times, i was just losing?”

           “Yes.” Frisk ducked out of the way of a Gaster Blaster and leaped out of an area that soon became a pit of bones. “You believe that murder is your only option, Sans, but it isn’t!”

           “you know _nothing_ , do you?” Sans huffed. “you really are an idiot.”

          The fallen human shook their head. “I’m not an idiot. Sans: you are a noble, powerful skeleton. You have the potential to be great, to be kind, to be caring. But you’ve become bitter in your brother’s shadow and gained malice from the world’s treatment of you. But that doesn’t have to go on.”

           “stop talking like you know me!” Sans snarled and waved his hands. Red and white bones were launched at a great speed. Frisk dodged these, too. “stop it! just- shut up and die!” He tore both hands into the air. Frisk jumped. The entire area around them bristled with white and red.

          Then, it changed. The section below them vanished, revealing the ground again. Frisk landed heavily on the tile floor. The remaining pellets vanished. Frisk looked up. Flowey watched them with round eyes. “Go on, Chara! I believe in you!”

          The bones vanished. Sans snarled in frustration. Sweat glistened in the light. His stance was a bit looser, a bit less steady. Sans waved his hands. Bones flew from the air around them. Gaster Blasters formed around them. He staggered as he threw off his own balance with the spell. Frisk, under the aid of Chara, dodged attack after attack. Finally, the attacks began to weaken. They slowed down and were less frequent. By the time the last blaster set off, no bones were in motion. Sans waved his hand to summon more. Nothing happened. The bones that made Flowey’s cage vanished. The skeleton, exhausted, fell to his knees and bowed his head.

          Frisk approached the skeleton. Sans wheezed in such a way that it resembled a laugh. “what now? going to finish me off? or are you still stuck believing that you can ‘save’ me?”

          Frisk put away their knife and knelt. Their eyes faded from red to brown. Their heart locket faded from red to green. Sans faded from complete clarity to a red, gold, white, and black blur. Without a word, Frisk wrapped their arms around Sans and pulled him close for a hug. He stared at the empty ground behind them.

           “why?” he asked. “why are you doing this? why are you being so nice to me?”

           “Everyone need a little kindness every once in a while,” Frisk purred. “That means you, too, Sans.”

           “…you are too kind, frisk,” Sans stated. “what have i done to deserve this? i’ve killed you countless times in countless ways. why are you being so nice to me?”

           “You know the answer,” Frisk pointed out. “I love you all, Sans. Not just Flowey or Papyrus or Captain Undyne- everyone. That includes you. Everyone has greatness and the potential for amazing things in them. Sometimes, some people just need a little push.”

          Sans shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around them. “you are the oddest child i’ve ever met, frisk.”

           “That’s so kind coming from you!” Frisk chuckled. “Sans, we have an entire nation of people to liberate. Do… do you want to help me?”

          The smaller skeleton nodded. “yeah. sure. just, ah, no dancing.”

          Frisk laughed. “Whatever you say, Sans! I’ll make you a dancer yet, don’t you even worry.” For the longest time, Sans didn’t let go. Frisk didn’t push him away. For the longest time, the skeleton rested his head on Frisk’s shoulder and intertwined his own fingers behind their back. Frisk responded by doing the same thing. His jacket was still very fluffy.

          Eventually, Sans opened his sleepy eyes and let go. Frisk let go of him and sat back. Sans rubbed the back of his head with a small defeated huff. Before he could speak, Frisk pulled out a small bag from their shoulder bag and set it down before Sans. Sans tipped his head. “uh, what?”

           “Open it,” Frisk prompted. “I want you to have it.”

          Sans opened the bag completely and pulled out a plate of spaghetti. Sans’ eyes grew round in shock. “how did… did he make this for you?”

          Frisk nodded. “When he helped me leave Snowdin, he gave that to me.”

          Sans’ eyes narrowed. His grip on it grew possessive. “pfft. he hasn’t cooked in years.”

           “Did he used to make this?” Frisk prompted.

          Sans nodded. “yeah.”

          Frisk gave him a patient smile. “When? He doesn’t seem like the cooking sort.”

           “when we were younger he… cooked a lot. he liked cooking. our dad taught us both, since, uh, cooking is a science in a way? anyway, he was always better than i at it, like usual.” Frisk could feel the slight joy creeping into his words. “he always made the best meals. during the holidays, he cooked all sorts of food. spaghetti was always my favorite of his, so he cooked it for my birthday. heh. my brother’s the best.” For the first time that Frisk had ever seen, Sans was not only really relaxed, but talked about Papyrus with genuine happiness- and referred to him as his brother.

           “So, he’s an amazing big bro, huh?” Frisk prompted with a slight chuckle.

          Sans’ good mood vanished in an instant. His dark gaze came back to them. “yeah. he was. he was the best brother. but then he joined the royal guard and doesn’t even act like it. now he has you. so _you_ replaced me.” Sans’ pupils vanished. “you dirty brother stealer!”

          Frisk yelped and covered their hands over their head as a Gaster Blaster popped into existence. Sans’ hand glowed in harsh red energy. Eleven more popped up. “W-wait! Sans, I’m not–”

           “shut up, you liar!” Sans barked. The food was very quickly hidden. He was on his feet. “you selfish little _bitch!_ if you cared an inkling about anyone but yourself, you’d have stayed away from him!” Frisk jumped to their feet and, with Chara’s aid, raced out of the range of the blasters. Frisk attempted to walk toward him. A wall of bones rushed up to meet them. Frisk yelped and jumped back. “just fucking die, already!” Sans snarled. A liquid other than sweat glimmered on Sans’ cheeks. “then we’ll both be happy, alright?!”

          Frisk jumped out of the way of another attack. “Please! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

          Sans, slightly unsteady, shook his head. “no!” The blasters appeared again. Frisk was hardly able to dodge all of them. After a few more bone attacks, the spur of hate-fueled energy was lost on Sans. His attacks began to wear down. By the end of it, he was hardly able to stay on his own two feet.

           “Calm down,” Frisk urged in a gentle voice. They held up their empty hands. “I’m not fighting you. Sans, you’re hurting yourself. Sit down. It’s okay.”

          Sans, blurry-eyed, snarled, “just- shut up and die!” Bones bristled from the ground a few feet away. Sans shook his head again.

          Frisk relaxed and walked toward the skeleton. “Sans, hush. Please. You’re okay.”

           “get away from me!” Sans barked and teleported a few inches away.

          Frisk shook their head and wrapped their arms around the skeleton. “I know how it feels, Sans. It hurts. It really hurts.” Sans whimpered. Frisk’s grip on him tightened. “You’re just with your bro. You feel like trash because he’s too busy to pay as much attention to you like when you were younger. So, you’re taking it out on other people. But you don’t have to, Sans. You don’t have to hurt people. You’re a brilliant man, Sans. You can think of a solution to anything, I just know it. You’re clever, brilliant, and you’re a good bro. Papyrus loves you, too. Anyone could see that. Sure, it can be kind of difficult, but once you see it, you can’t see anything else.”

          Sans shut his eyes. “you are… right. i can find a solution to any problem.” His eyes went dark. “i guess you’re the problem, huh? you little _thief.”_

          Bones rushed out of the ground and impaled them. The young human choked. Blood spattered Sans’ cheek. The bones fell away. The only reason Frisk wasn’t on the floor was because of their grip on Sans’ coat. A slight smile crossed their features. “W-well, that’s not… not what I expected… but! But st-still…! I believe… believe in you…!” They struggled to move their head so that their watery chocolate eyes met his. “Y-you… can do a-a little b-better… even if y-you don’t… don’t think so…! I… I p-promise…” Their eyes began to shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this ring a bell?


	3. Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his defense...

          Sans gasped and gripped their sides. Frisk’s arms fell away. _“_ oh _shit!_ shit! i’m sorry. fuck!” He wrapped his arms around the human. A vine gripped Sans’ arm. The golds and browns of the judgement hall vanished. They were soon replaced by silver and white and brown. Cold bit into them as snow swirled around them. Below them, snow began to melt and turn pink as blood oozed from the wound in their chest. Flowey’s backpack hit the ground beside them.

          Sans raced into their house and looked about. After half a second of thinking, he raced up into his room, brought out a towel, and wrapped it around Frisk’s chest. They were then cocooned in a black and red blanket, Sans set them down on the couch. Sans gripped his collar and then let go. He raced outside and set Flowey down on the couch-side table. Then, Sans continued to race about the house.

          Hardly a minute after Sans touched his collar, Papyrus raced into the house. “SANS! WHAT’S-” Papyrus cut himself off upon seeing Frisk’s half-conscious body on the couch. “SANS! WHAT HAPPENED!”

          Sans raced down the stairs and stood in front of Papyrus. “th-they’re very badly wounded, boss. i-i brought them here.”

          Papyrus gently unfolded the blanket. Red blossomed on the towel wrapped around Frisk’s chest. They opened their eyes into slits and groaned. “WHO DID THIS? SANS! YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOU!” His small eyes flicked to Sans. Sans’ shirt sported a deep red stain as did his cheek.

          Flowey growled, “Sans.” Papyrus’ wide eyes narrowed in an icy glower.

          Sans shrank away from his brother’s fury. “i-i- yes. i did attack them. but they’re not dead. i brought them here!”

          Papyrus set his hand on Frisk’s chest to draw out their soul. It was near to the breaking point.

          _“Frisk- Attack 15, Defense 15. HP .5/20. Blind. Determined to SAVE monsters.”_

          The bigger skeleton hissed, “THEY’RE NEARLY DEAD!”

           “i-i know, boss. that’s why i brought them here,” Sans squeaked.

          Papyrus gently unwrapped the towel and pulled up their ruined shirt to see the ghastly mess of torn muscle, broken bone, and torn skin. “WHAT DID YOU DO?” he asked in a slow, constricted voice.

           “f-fought them.”

          Flowey glowered at Sans and turned to Papyrus. “He killed them after they offered him mercy. It’s was an off-guard kill, the bastard.”

          Papyrus wrapped up Frisk in the towel and blanket again. “YES. THAT WAS A BASTARD MOVE. WELL, I CAN’T FIX THEM. DR. ALPHYS CAN, THOUGH.”

          Flowey shook his head. “No! We don’t need to contact her. Put me on the ground. Do _not_ move them!” Without hesitation, Papyrus took Flowey’s backpack and set it on the ground outside. Flowey took himself out and sunk into snow.

          Chara sat down on the ground before Frisk. _“Frisk. You are going to be alright. Just stay determined.”_

          Frisk smiled in the slightest. “Sta… ay… De… ter… mi… in… ed...”

           “DID YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING?” Papyrus prompted.

          Frisk’s gaze flicked up to Papyrus. “Ye… es…”

          Chara set their hand on Frisk’s chest _. “Try not to move, alright. You’re very weak. You’re doing all you can to keep yourself together. So, any extra stress will just make you worse, okay?”_

           “YOU ARE HERE, AT OUR HOUSE,” Papyrus explained. “YOU ARE INJURED, BUT WE WILL BE GETTING HELP FOR YOU. YOUR FLOWER CURRENTLY ISN’T WITH US. HE IS TRYING TO FIND SOME HELP. IF WORSE COMES TO WORSE, WE WILL BE TAKING YOU TO DR. ALPHYS.”

           “T… or… i… el…” Frisk mumbled.

           “DR. ALPHYS. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THEIR NAME? WHO IS TORIEL?”

           “Mo… om… fix… es… ev… ery… thi… ing…”

           “TORIEL?” Papyrus prompted. “IS THAT YOUR MOTHER’S NAME? WELL, WE HAVE NOT SEEN YOUR MOTHER. CAN SHE FIX YOU? WHERE IS SHE?”

           “Ru… ins…”

           “THE RUINS? BUT THE RUINS HAVE BEEN SEALED SINCE PRIOR TO OUR FATHER’S LIFE!”

           “that’s where they came from,” Sans stated. “maybe they got locked out or something. maybe her mom’s still there.”

          Papyrus lowered his voice and stepped back. “SANS. IF THEIR MOTHER WAS THERE, SHE’D HAVE COME OUT BY NOW.”

           “right. do they have a phone number or somethin’?”

          Papyrus hesitated and went back to Frisk. “DO YOU KNOW TORIEL’S PHONE NUMBER?”

          Frisk opened their eyes. “my… pho… one…”

          Papyrus took their phone out of their bag and looked through it. There were only two contacts: Toriel and Papyrus. However, Dr. Alphys’ number was in the ‘recently called’ list in multiple places.

          _Briiing… briiing… briiing… briiing… briiing…_ Nobody answered.

          Papyrus frowned and typed the same number into his phone. He got the same response. Sans copied him. He failed as well.

           “Di… dn’t… an… swe… er…?”

          Papyrus shook his head. “BUT THE PHONE ISN’T DEAD. THAT MEANS SHE STILL HAS IT. IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SHE CALLS BACK.”

          Frisk’s smile widened. “Tha… ank… yo… ou… Wa… ant… To… ori… el… Fi… ix… ev… ev… ery… yth… i… ing…”

          _“You should stop talking,”_ Chara advised. _“It’s really not good for you.”_

           “Wa… ant… to… ta… alk…” Frisk muttered.

          _“No.”_ Chara set both hands on Frisk’s chest. _“Stop talking.”_ Chara’s body phased into Frisk’s. Their eyes glinted scarlet and shut. “Ca… n’t… ta… lk… any… more… goo… ood… ni… ght…” Their voice had a bit more energy in it. _“I’m keeping your soul stable using my own energy, okay? Maybe, over time, I can even mend you. But this is going to take a lot on my part. That means concentration. So, I can’t fight against you, okay? Don’t fight me.”_

          _“Okay,”_ Frisk sighed. _“I won’t. But they look concerned…”_

          _“I know,”_ Chara agreed. _“They should be.”_

           “FRISK! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” Papyrus called. “FRISK! ANSWER ME NOW! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME? HUMAN! YOU CAN’T GO TO SLEEP, NOW! WE NEED YOU TO TALK TO US!” Papyrus stopped and sighed. With that, he got to his feet and turned to his brother. “SANS GASTER. YOU DID THIS.”

          Immediately, Sans’ eyes went wide as orbs and he took a few steps back. He stuttered but couldn’t come up with anything coherent to say.

          Papyrus took one step forward. Sans skittered three steps back. Unfortunately for him, he was now against the wall. “EVEN WHEN THEY GAVE YOU MERCY? THAT MEANS THEY WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO YOU THAT YOU WERE NO LONGER FIGHTING THEM. THAT MEANS THAT THEY COMPLTELY TRUSTED YOU NOT TO HURT THEM.”

          Sans shrank back into his hoodie. “y-y-yes b-b-boss. i-i-i-it was a m-mistake, r-r-really. i-i b-brought them b-b-back, though!”

           “ _NEARLY DEAD!_ ” Papyrus roared. He was now immediately in front of his smaller brother. “NEARLY _DEAD!_ DRAGGING THEIR NEAR LIFELESS BODY BACK HERE DOES YOU NOTHING.”

          Frisk whimpered, _“N-No! He’s going to hurt him! Let me come back!”_

          _“No.”_ Chara stated, steadfast and unyielding. Their grip on Frisk’s soul wavered in the slightest. _“This is none of your concern. Sans nearly killed you. Whatever he gets, he deserves.”_

          _“You can’t say that.”_ Frisk’s voice was defeated. A hard _clunk_ and a yelp signified Papyrus hitting his brother across the head. _“No! Please! Chara, I’m begging you. Let me talk to him! I-I-I’ll tell him it wasn’t Sans’ fault. It was my fault. Really! Let me go! PLEASE! Just let me go!”_

          _“No.”_ Chara stated and gritted their teeth. _“No! I’m keeping you here, Frisk. What can you possibly do, anyway? Your whimpering won’t be heard over his.”_

          _“P-please, Chara… please… I…”_ Papyrus barked something. Sans whimpered a tiny reply. _“Chara! Oh my God he’ll hurt him! Please!”_

          _“No.”_ Chara stated simply. _“I told you no and I mean it.”_

          Papyrus was viciously berating his smaller brother. Chara kept their eyes closed and concentration on their soul. Frisk stated, _“You can’t think this is right.”_

          _“I do,”_ Chara stated. _“I can think what I wish. Right now, I_ think _I need to keep you alive. Anything you attempt to do will only harm you further.”_

          _“Let me go!”_ Frisk barked. They felt a very firm push in their subconscious. Chara didn’t give.

          _“No. Frisk, please. You’re worrying yourself. Do you want me to put you to sleep?”_

          _“No! Let me go!”_

          _“Okay.”_ Chara took a deep breath. _“If it helps you.”_ They were forced into sleeping.

 

          Frisk woke up. Chara stood beside them. Frisk took a deep breath and looked around. Instead of the green and beige and black blurs of the living room, they were in a sterile white and gray place. Beeps and whirs surrounded them. A little green and gold object was in a blue thing on a sort of bedside table beside them. “F-Flowey?”

          The green-gold thing moved. “Frisk! You’re awake!”

          Frisk attempted to move but hesitated. Their ruined shirt was not on them, for one. They instead wore bright white gauze. Stitches itched at them underneath. “Wh… where am I?” There was a bit more strength in Frisk’s voice.

           “Dr. Alphys’ lab,” Flowey replied. “Toriel… um… isn’t coming.”

          Frisk relaxed with a sigh. “Oh. Where’s everyone else?”

           “By everyone else, you mean that smiley trashbag and his big brother?” Flowey prompted. “Yeah. Not here. Captain Undyne _nearly_ speared them for missing work. So, they’re out. Dr. Alphys isn’t around. She ran some tests on you. Apparently, your determination is extraordinarily strong. So, she, uh, took some from your soul. Well, I say ‘took’ but it apparently replenishes itself.”

           “How long will I be here?” Frisk prompted.

           “Pfft. Not long,” Flowey replied. Although his voice was tough and uncaring, Frisk could feel the fear hidden beneath it.

           “Flowey. It’s okay. I’m not dead. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

           “Hurt me?” Flowey echoed.

           “Yeah.” Frisk sat up. The pain they felt before was numbed almost into nonexistence. “You’re really scared of this place.” They smiled. “But it’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Or, uh, me I guess?” They chuckled and looked about. “So, what’s with all this? I’m normally attached to wires and stuff by now. I mean, that’s what happened last time.”

           “Last time?”

           “Yeah. I broke my leg when I was little,” Frisk replied. “It… was bad. They straightened me out, put me in stitches, and wrapped me up. But, uh, they’d put a bunch of wires and stuff in me.”

           “I guess magic?” Flowey answered. “I mean, humans don’t normally have magic, right? So, maybe it’s that. Or it’s the determination substitute Dr. Alphys gave you to help you out a bit.”

           “Awake?” Dr. Alphys’ monotonous voice came from around a corner. The reptilian scientist stopped beside their bed. Her glasses glinted in the light. “You’re sitting up.”

          Frisk nodded. “I am. And I am. Why? Is that bad?”

           “Waking up is good. That means the substitute I gave you pulled you out of your comatose state. Sitting up is not. Your chest and back are injured. I managed to arrange your bones and flesh in the way that they are supposed to be in. One of your ribs was already cracked from an old injury so I thought I’d fix that, too. The drugs I gave you were not meant to allow you to move around without pain. They were meant to relax you out of hurting yourself subconsciously. Now that you’re awake, and your vitals have stabilized, I’ll be using healing magic on you.” Dr. Alphys approached them and set a hand on their back and their chest. Her fingers sparkled in vibrant green light and her nails glowed. The pain ended. The stitches vanished.

          Frisk touched their hand to their chest. “Huh…?”

           “The stitches are temporary,” Dr. Alphys stated and began working with the bandages. “These are not. I have found a replacement shirt for you to wear. The only one your size was in King Asgore’s house. If you don’t tell him, I’m sure he won’t mind.” She cut something and unraveled the bandages. Eventually, the pink splotched bandages were removed. The shirt provided to them was deep scarlet with one maroon stripe around the chest. It looked exactly like the coat. The cloth felt nice against their skin. Their old shirt had been pretty dirty, anyway.

           “Do you know where my coat is?” Frisk prompted.

           “Gone,” Dr. Alphys replied. “Just like your shirt.”

          Frisk frowned. “What about my bag?”

           “Here.” Dr. Alphys put the bandages in some sort of trash can and set their bag on the table. “Sans left a… _gift_ for you. He apologizes for his error. You are free to leave my laboratory now. The door is just around that corner.” Dr. Alphys pointed to some place around the corner.

           “Okay. Thank you!” Frisk put on their bag, and then their backpack, and jumped off the operating table. They gasped and wobbled as they weren’t quite good on their feet. After a few breaths, they straightened themselves out and walked away. The door was easily found. When they left the lab, they found themselves back in that large room that connected to the escalators to the scientist’s room. That meant that the chain of elevators leading to the castle was right outside.

          Frisk stopped beside the elevator and felt around the outside of their bag. The inside was completely filled with dirt for Flowey. However, there were pockets around the edge. “Flowey? Can you help me out, please?”

          Flowey hesitated, groaned, and pulled something out of the front pocket with his vine. Frisk took it in their hands and rubbed the surface of it with one of their fingers. “What is it?”

Flowey gave a short huff. “It’s a gift from that smiley trashbag. It’s just a stupid skull-looking thing. Nothing really.”

          Chara phased into Frisk’s body. Their eyes glimmered scarlet. The object in their hand was indeed in the shape of a skull. But it wasn’t just any type of skull. It was in the shape of a Gaster Blaster. It was just large enough to fit in their hand but small enough to close their fist around it. The jaws of the petrified device were together so that they couldn’t fall off. A note fell out from it.

          _“_ _In case you find yourself in trouble, pinch its eyes. It’s not a toy. Don’t play with it,”_ Chara read aloud.

           “Oh, that’s so nice of him!” Frisk cooed and closed their hand around it. “I won’t play with it. I’ll keep it with me forever.” Their hand gently closed around it. Chara let go of them. After a few moments of thought, the young human gasped. “Oh! Maybe I can combine this with Captain Undyne’s necklace and Chara’s!”

           “Huh?” Flowey prompted.

           “Yeah. They can be like charms,” Frisk replied. “The heart goes in the center. Then the spear is to the right and the blaster is the left. You know, because Captain Undyne is right-handed but Sans is left-handed. Or, at least, his attacks are.”

          Flowey stared at them in apprehension. “I don’t think they would even fit on the necklace.”

           “Then we can add the skull to Captain Undyne’s necklace and put it them next to each other!”

          Flowey sighed. “You are determined. Fine. Let me do it.” Flowey untied Captain Undyne’s necklace, looped the blaster through it, and tied it behind Frisk’s neck again. Chara’s cyan heart locket was in the center. Below it, the spear of Captain Undyne’s necklace touched its right and Sans’ Gaster Blaster was to its left. An upside down yellow heart charm was beside the spear. “And, uh, the doctor gave that to you, too. She just didn’t tell you.”

           “Thank you so much, Flowey!” Frisk purred.

           “Yeah, yeah. It’s the least I can do for you, Frisk.” Flowey smiled.

           “Aw! We should be getting to the castle now. Oh! Wait!” Frisk took out their phone. “Hey, Papyrus? This is Frisk.”

           “FR- HUMAN! YOU ARE AWAKE! ARE YOU STILL IN THE LAB?”

           “No,” Frisk replied. “Flowey I are heading to the castle. We _really_ need to talk to the king as soon as possible. But, um, since I’m talking to you… where’s Sans?”

           “IN THE FOREST OF SNOWDIN, AT HIS STATION,” Papyrus answered at once. There was bitterness in his tone.

           “Yeah, um…” Frisk thought for a moment. “I know that you’re mad at him… heh. Flowey is, too. But, uh, I just want to ask you to… stop being mad at him? Oh goodness. Um, I mean: to try and forgive him?”

           “HE NEARLY KILLED YOU.”

           “Can’t you predict me?” Frisk prompted. “I’m sorry. I was talking with Sans, though. Before uh… before he took me to his- the house. He sort of misses you.”

           “MISSES ME? WE LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE.”

          Frisk sat down outside of the elevator. “I know. But… he misses being your brother. Um, I don’t know what happened, but your brother feels left out. I think that through all this fighting, he might just want to be a brother again? I don’t know. It might just be me. But, uh, could you try that, please? I don’t know what siblings act like here. But I know my siblings like talking to each other. So, maybe, um, talk to him?”

          There was a silence on the other end of the phone. Frisk grew more and more tense as silence continued. Oh no. Maybe they shouldn’t say that. Oh, how could they be so stupid? They were much to confrontational! Papyrus spoke up before they could, “YOU ARE A COMPASSIONATE CHILD. I AM STILL SURPRISED BY YOU. I WILL CONSIDER WHAT YOU SAID. GOOD LUCK WITH THE KING.” _Click._

          Frisk stared at the phone and sighed. They put it away and walked into the elevator. Flowey didn’t even speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...he didn't mean it! Really!


	4. Justice's Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Every one of them will fell Justice's burn!" ~Dragon Age

          Eventually, Frisk got to walk back New Home and into the judgement hall. “Oh! I should get the pie.” Frisk turned and walked down the corridor. The slice of pie was still on the ground. They gently put it away. They left the judgment room.

           “A sign! What’s it say?” Frisk prompted. At the end of the hallway, a sign hung beside the doorway.

           “‘Throne room.’” Flowey nodded. “Yep. Just about it. Let’s go.”

          Frisk smiled and took a deep breath. “This is it, Flowey!” They walked in.

          The throne room was very pretty. Green leaves and vines snaked around the edges of the room and the walls. One throne was in the center. A second was pushed up against a dark corner with a blanket over it. Most of the room was dominated by flowers. Golden flowers brought the room to life. Yet this room’s beauty could not be truly appreciated for the bulk of their attention was stolen by the sole occupant of the room.

          Sitting in a giant throne before them was an absolute giant. A cape as tall as Toriel fluttered over his feet. The cape itself was black, though red embroidery brought depth to it. Two large, deep scarlet pauldrons were set on the shoulders of the king. The king’s long mane of rustled, dark hair fell over his shoulders. The only thing to part his mane were two massive goat horns curled up and back over his head. The horns themselves were a dark grayish brown, which brought no contrast to his hair and long, straggly beard. However, it did bring contrast to his stark white fur. His deep maroon eyes couldn’t be seen as his head was bent forward and masked by his long, dark hair. “Oh? Is someone there?” the monster’s deep voice was a compliment to his bulk. He raised his head. His deep maroon eyes were deepened by the bags under his eyes. “Howdy!” he greeted in a heavy voice with a large, strained smile. “How may I…?” His fanged smile fell. “Oh. You are… not what I expected.” His dark eyes traveled over the shirt that Frisk wore and the heart locket that gleamed over their chest. His tired gaze rested on their eyes, the only part of their physical appearance that did not remind him of his long dead child. “So, he failed. That will be dealt with later. You know what we must do.”

          Frisk bowed their head. “I do.”

           “When… you are ready, follow me to the next room.” King Asgore heaved himself out of his throne and walked through the throne room and out of the doorway at the end.

          Frisk looked at Flowey. The flower nodded. The young human took a deep breath. “This is it. Let’s make history.” Frisk walked out into the next room. It was a small, empty, gray room devoid of life or color. King Asgore stood in the center.

           “Tense, isn’t it? It always is. You always feel the electric crackle before the strike.” King Asgore turned and walked down a short hallway. It ended after a few yards. An intricate doorway faced the other end. He stood before it. “Child…” he turned his dark gaze on Frisk and Flowey. “If you have any unfinished business… do it now.” With that, he swept into the next room.

           “Frisk… Frisk, that’s the barrier,” Flowey stated. “The barrier is in that room.”

          Frisk nodded, touched the yellow sparkled beside the door, and entered the room. Black and white swirled around them. Stripes of black followed stripes of white as they got smaller and smaller as if running into the distance. Black followed white. White followed black.

          King Asgore stared at the barrier. “This is the barrier. If… if by chance you have any unfinished business, do it now.”

          Frisk stared up into his dark eyes. Pain and depression was hidden beneath a dark, emotionless mask. The young human gave him a nod. Their heart locket turned red. “I… I am ready.”

           “…I see. This is it, then.” King Asgore turned around. Seven containers rose from the ground. All but one held a human soul of all types of colors- cyan, blue, green, purple, yellow, and gold. The only color missing was red. Frisk’s red soul appeared before their chest.

          _“Twilight spills through the barrier. Your journey is finally over. You are filled with determination.”_

           “Human…” King Asgore opened his eyes and gave them a hopeful smile. “It was nice to meet you.” His smile vanished and he bowed his head. “Goodbye.” His hand flashed out from under his cape. The black and red-embroidered fabric fluttered back and revealed not only part of King Asgore’s armored body, but a giant red trident. A heavy snort came from his nostrils and he raised his trident. Frisk flinched. The trident came down. They could hear Chara gasp. Frisk spun around.

          Chara, visible to only Frisk, knelt beside them, a hand over their chest. Chara held up a hand. A box reading ‘FIGHT’ glimmered in golden letters. Chara closed their hand and the word evaporated. ‘ACT’ appeared. They closed their hand and it vanished. ‘ITEM’ appeared in complete clarity and vanished as well. However, when Chara attempted to summon ‘MERCY’, it failed. Tiny scraps of gold hovered and then fizzled out over Chara’s hand. The way behind them was now sealed by a force-field barrier. The way before them was blocked. Frisk could not leave. Frisk couldn’t run away. Frisk couldn’t spare him.

           “Please, King Asgore! We don’t have to fight.” Frisk insisted in a quiet voice. Their soul turned a bright shade of purple. King Asgore’s hands trembled for a moment before he gained his resolve. He waved his hands. Yellow fire blazed and shot at them. Flowey and Frisk worked together to get away from giant balls of fire. “I don’t want to fight you!”

          King Asgore’s breathing got funny for a moment. Fire swirled around them in a twirling, DNA pattern. Frisk stepped within the circles not taken up by fire.

          Frisk stared at King Asgore and stood up straight. “King Asgore. Stop fighting!” Recollection flashed in his eyes. King Asgore flinched and bared his teeth. His muscles weren’t as tense. His hands weren’t as firm on the trident. _“Strike,”_ Chara’s voice breathed from beside them. Chara had gotten to their feet. However, their arm was still held by their side. _“Don’t kill him, but strike.”_

          Frisk held onto their knife tighter and lunged. King Asgore took a step back but otherwise did not even attempt to block the blow. They hardly did anything to them. King Asgore raised his trident. His eyes flashed in red magic. Frisk gasped and shut their eyes tight. The trident, glowing in hard scarlet light, swung through them twice. King Asgore took a step back and retracted his trident.

          Frisk shook their head and lunged. King Asgore took this blow. It didn’t hurt him that much, but it made a deeper cut than the last one. Yellow fire filled the room around them. Frisk and Flowey together could hardly dodge the onslaught. The battle was just blow after blow from both sides. Neither person spoke. Neither person stayed still.

          Eventually, injured too much to fight, Frisk staggered back to avoid another hit from King Asgore’s trident. They tripped and fell. Dirt scattered behind them.

          Frisk pulled out the last thing that remained in their bag: the slice of pie. King Asgore did not move. Frisk scarfed down the slice of pie in an instant. All bleeding stopped, their bruising went away, their burns faded, and the cracks on their soul vanished. King Asgore shuttered and began to tremble upon smelling the pie. Quite suddenly, his lips pulled back to reveal pearly teeth and his eyes shut tight. His eyes flashed orange and red in the warning of his magic attack. Frisk could hardly dodge these attacks. At the last second, his trident’s glow faded and struck them in the stomach. Frisk crumpled. Wheezing and gasping, they wrapped their arms around their stomach and rolled over onto their side. King Asgore stood above them. His dark, merciless gaze stared down at them. He raised his trident high. The spiked tips glistened in the twilight that poured from the barrier. “Please…” Frisk whimpered. Tears glimmered on their cheeks.

          King Asgore took a deep breath. “I am sorry. This is my duty.”

          Frisk flinched and shut their eyes. They curled up around the pain in their stomach. Their eyes sparked red. They rolled away from the attack as King Asgore’s trident dug into the ground. Without thinking, Chara lunged and cut deep into King Asgore’s chest.

          King Asgore gasped and collapsed onto one knee. He set his hand on torn chest. The trident he wielded clanged to the floor. Frisk immediately dropped the knife and put their hand to their mouth. Chara appeared beside them, a look of wide-eyed horror dressing their features.

           “Ah… So, that is how it is…” the old king wheezed. He shut his eyes and took a steadying breath. “I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken away from us. In a fit of anger, I declared war on the humans and vowed to kill any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike… and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity. And let monsters rule the surface. My wife and I… disagreed on issue after issue before she, too, left my side to truly empty the kingdom I call my husk of a home. Truthfully, I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope… but I cannot take this any longer. I am a horrible king. I’ve grown distant with my people and allowed them to hurt themselves, to kill each other, for their hope to be put on murder, for what? I don’t want this anymore. I just want my family. I want to see my children. I want my kingdom to be happy again. Please, young one. This war has gone on long enough. Take my soul, and leave this accursed place.”

          Chara waved her arm and held up her hand. ‘MERCY’ floated above it, broken but glowing. Frisk shook their head. Their locket faded to a jungle green. “No. I won’t hurt you.”

          King Asgore’s eyes opened. “After all I’ve done to you…” He looked up at Frisk. “You’d rather stay down here and suffer… then live outside in freedom?”

          Frisk nodded.

          The king smiled. “Then human, I promise that as long as you stay here, you’ll be safe. We will take care of you.” His gaze got a far away look to them. “We can sit in the living room, telling stories… eating butterscotch pie. I could announce to the rest of the kingdom our decision. We could be like… like a family…” King Asgore’s smile faded. He shut his eyes and bowed his head. “No. That’s just a fantasy, isn’t it?” His gaze flicked to Frisk. “Young one… when I look at you, I’m reminded of the human that fell here long ago.” The faintest of smiles crossed Chara’s lips. Flowey smiled, too, through tears dripped down his cheeks. “You have the same look of hope in your eyes. There is an ancient prophecy amongst our people… One day, a savior will come from the heavens. I believe the one that was prophesied was you. Somewhere in the world outside, there must be a way to free us from our prison.”

          The smiles of the three children began to fade. King Asgore’s tentative smile left him, too. “It pains me to give you this responsibility but… please. Take my soul and… do what I could have never done: give my people hope. Seek the truth. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a simple, happy ending… But I believe your freedom is what my son, Asriel, would have wanted. After all, that’s the responsibility he and Chara, my two most beautiful children, tried to take upon themselves…” His hand left his chest. A dagger appeared from under his robes.

           “NO! WAIT!” Their screams fell on deaf ears. Frisk raced to the dying king. Yet all they felt was dust as the mane of hair they grabbed vaporized. The giant man’s form evaporated and dust sprinkled like rain upon the ground, over Frisk’s hands, and upon their clothes. Flowey screamed and cried. Chara collapsed into themselves and wrapped her arms around her legs so that her face was hidden and Frisk couldn’t see them cry. Frisk got down on one knee. Floating above the pile of dust that was once a father, a husband, a king, was an upside down, silver heart. It, like Frisk’s own soul, was seen in clarity by the otherwise blind child. Eventually, it shattered.

           “What will you do now?” Flowey choked. “If you go back, he’ll just die again.”

          Frisk looked at Chara. The ghost looked away. The young human stood up. Their green locket flashed red. “I can’t let him die. I don’t want to watch him die, either.”

           “If we reset, he’ll-” Flowey started.

           “I know, I know,” Frisk stated. “But he’s doing what he’s doing for the good of their people. Maybe… maybe if his people came here, then he could change. Maybe if his people told him that death was not the only option, then he wouldn’t die! No one would get hurt!” Frisk’s smile returned. “Wh-what do you think? Is that a good idea? Will it work?”

          Flowey nodded. “D-definitely! It has to!”

          Chara looked up at Frisk. Their scarlet eyes glowed with a light of their own. “Do what you must, Frisk. Just please… please don’t let my dad die again.” They stood up and held up both hands. ‘RESET’ glowed in one. ‘CONTINUE’ glowed in the other.

           “I’ll do what is right. If I do something stupid, stop me. No matter what, the king must not die.” Frisk’s hand phased through the ‘Continue’ button. Frisk stared back at Chara. “And I mean _anything._ ”

 

          Frisk looked about. They put a hand to their chest. Frisk took a deep breath. “Well… let’s see how everyone’s doing, shall we?” Frisk turned and walked down the hallway. Flowey stayed quiet. Chara did not turn invisible again. They strode alongside Frisk. All three of the children stayed quiet as they walked through hallways, rooms, and elevators. They passed through the castle and the core.

          Frisk hesitated once they were inside of the MTT resort. “…I’m kind of hungry. Flowey? Do you want to grab something to eat and rest a while?”

           “Sure,” Flowey replied. “But, uh, we don’t have any money.”

           “Oh. Right. …but I have that Starfait!” Frisk gasped. “We can share that!”

          Flowey smirked. “Sure. Where do you want to stay?”

           “How about… just outside? Near the front door?” Frisk prompted.

          The flower gave them a small nod. “Alright. But there aren’t any seats there.”

           “Yeah. We can sit on the sidewalk. That’s okay,” the young human replied with a shrug as they walked to the end of the hotel’s main room. When they got outside, they took off their backpack and sat down with their back against the wall. Flowey was set against the wall and their Starfait in their hands. They’d been given one straw per smoothie. Since Frisk hadn’t used a straw on the last one they drank, they got to use two straws for the smoothie- one for Flowey, one for Frisk. Occasionally, Chara would take over so that they could have a sip of the starfait as well.

          “So, why do your eyes do that?” Flowey prompted.

          Chara looked up at him. He was shown in complete clarity, now. The flower’s pretty head was tipped. His large, golden petals popped out from behind his face like a lion’s mane, though they were tattered. His stem was slim and smooth without any thorns, leaves, or flakes to disrupt it. Frisk’s eyes faded from red to cloudy brown. “Hmm? Oh. Oh! Right. Well, my spirit friend has red eyes,” Frisk explained with a bright smile. “Sometimes, they take over. Sometimes it’s to help me fight- like when we fought Sans. Sometimes it’s so that they can feel the world. As a spirit, they can only see and hear the world around them. But when they take over me, they can feel and taste and smell the world, too. But they become mostly blind because of me. But when they concentrate their magic, they make one thing very clear. Like you! When they took over me, they could see you in perfect clarity even though everything else was blurry. That’s why my eyes change sometimes. But you can’t sense them when they’re not possessing me.”

          _“Don’t tell him my name, ‘kay?”_ Chara requested.

          Frisk nodded. “Sure thing.”

           “Oh. So, you _are_ talking to someone,” Flowey stated. “I, uh, thought you were talking to yourself.”

           “I’m pretty sure everyone thought that,” Frisk agreed with a small chuckle. Soon enough, they noticed that their Starfait was empty. “Oh. We ran out. …I’m bored. You wanna play a game for a bit?”

           “You’re bor- um, well… I don’t know any games that don’t involve using my arms or legs,” Flowey pointed out.

          Chara smiled. _“He doesn’t need hands or legs for prank-calling.”_

           “Prank-calling?” Frisk echoed.

          _“Yeah. Where you call someone, and play a prank on them. Like, joke with them and stuff.”_

           “Oh. Hey, Flowey! They suggested we prank call someone,” Frisk piped up. “I don’t know what that is. It’s like calling someone and telling them a joke, right?”

          Flowey nodded. “Yeah. No one does it here. Well, maybe some people but I’ve never seen it. My friend taught it to me when we were kids,” Flowey chuckled. His smile wavered.

          Frisk hesitated and took out their phone. “Well! What numbers do we press?”

           “Wait! We have to think of something to say,” Flowey pointed out.

           “Um… I don’t know.” Frisk shrugged. “I’ve never done that before. …or really called anyone before I came here.”

          Flowey thought for a moment. “Hmm… how about… we call a random number, and then make some awful jokes?”

          Frisk smiled and handed the phone to Flowey. “Um… okay! Just as long as we’re not mean. Okay?”

           “Oh of course!” Flowey took the phone in his vine and tapped in a few random numbers. “I’ll go first.”

          _Brriiiiing. Briiing. Brii-_ “Hello?” a gruff, low voice answered the phone.

          Flowey asked in a deep voice that was quite the opposite of his own, “Hello! This is the repair company you called.”

           “Repair…? I never called you!” the monster huffed.

           “Are you sure?” Flowey prompted. “Well then, we might have the wrong number. But first: is your refrigerator running?”

           “Yeah.”

           “Then you better catch it,” Flowey advised. Frisk bit their tongue to keep from snickering.

           “WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!” the monster snarled. “God damn kids!”

           Flowey ended the call. The two burst out into laughter. After Flowey calmed down enough to talk, they called another person. After about three more calls, all ending with a frustrated remark about modern kids, Frisk took the phone. “Let me try!” They tapped in a few random numbers and held the phone down for both of them to hear.

          _Briiing! Briiiing! Brii-_ “Hello?” A familiar, rough voice answered. Frisk’s, Flowey’s, and Chara’s smiles froze. They recognized this voice.

          In the background, another familiar voice piped up, “WHO’S THAT?”

           “I don’t know!” Captain Undyne called back. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

          Chara took over Frisk. They prompted in a hard, light voice unlike Frisk’s. “Uh, C-Captain? Captain Undyne? I apologize severely! This is the wrong number!” They shut off the call. Chara let go.

           “Well. I think we should find something else to do,” Frisk stated.

          Flowey nodded. “Yeah…”

          Frisk shrugged, put their backpack back on, and strolled away from the restaurant. “What should we do now?” Frisk prompted as they came to a stop near the elevators.

           “We really should be meeting other monsters to gather everyone up…” Flowey replied and then smiled. “Or we can have fun putting echo flowers near people’s doors!”

           “Yeah!” Frisk squeaked and ran into the elevator.

          Before they could get to the ferry for Waterfall, they ran into a black and gold and red body. Frisk gasped and took a few dizzy steps backward. Flowey wrapped his vines around their ankles and a rock nearby to keep them steady. Frisk rubbed their head and winced. “Oh no! I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there. Are you okay?”

          Sans held up his hand. “nah, kid. you okay?”

          Frisk’s features lit up. “Sans! Yeah, I’m okay! What’s up with you?”

           “definitely not prank-calling people,” Sans sneered.

          Frisk looked at him in surprise. “Huh? I didn’t know you were there!”

           “well, i was kinda was,” Sans smirked. “but, uh, as much as i’d love to see you try and prank people, leave that up to me, ‘kay? wouldn’t want to piss off any monster, hmm?”

           “Oh. Right.” Frisk hesitated and the smiled. “How are you today?”

           “i’m… actually doin’ pretty well.” Sans’ smile turned into a grin. “i just wanted to say thanks. not too many monsters show kindness, i mean. you are, uh, a good kid.”

          Frisk beamed. “Oh, you don’t have to thank me! I just told Pap what I thought. He did the rest on his own. Heh. Your brother really does love you.”

          Sans shut his eyes. “yeah. he’s the coolest, alright.”

          _Briiing! Briiing! Briii-_ “Hello? This is Frisk.”

           “HOWDY, FRISK!” Papyrus greeted. “YOU ARE A VERY GOOD FRIEND. YOU KNOW HOW TO TREAT OTHER FRIENDS, RIGHT?”

           “Yeah! Did you need any help?” Frisk prompted. Flowey gave them a questioning look. Frisk shrugged.

           “YOU COULD, EH, SAY THAT. SAY, I HAVE A GREAT IDEA! WHY DON’T YOU MEET DR. ALPHYS AT HER LAB? SHE, UH, WON’T COME OUT OF HER LAB. SO, YOU MIGHT TALK TO HER! WHILE SHE’S THERE!” Papyrus suggested.

           “Oh dear! What happened?” Frisk prompted, and put a hand to their mouth.

           “TRUTHFULLY, WE DON’T KNOW,” Papyrus admitted. “SHE WENT ON A DATE WITH CAPTAIN UNDYNE AND LEFT EARLY.”

           “Yeah,” Captain Undyne’s voice came out of the receiver. There was a small huff from Papyrus as the Captain of the Royal Guard stole his phone. “I just don’t get it! She just started acting weird. We were at our home and you came up somehow. We were talking about souls and integrity and such. We got to talking about theorizing about the effects of determination with monsters. She started freaking out and left. She locked her lab door! She won’t even let _me_ in!”

           “Oh no. That sounds horrible. If she won’t let _you_ in, why would she let me?” Frisk prompted.

           “She’s super interested in souls and determination. Maybe if you offered to help her, then you could find out what’s wrong!” Captain Undyne proposed.

           “Oh. Um… I don’t know anything about souls. I don’t know how _I’d_ be able to help her. But I’ll try! I promise I’ll get to her somehow!” Frisk puffed out their chest. Their locket, now a pretty shade of jungle green, glinted on their chest.

          There was a relieved sigh from the other side of the phone. “You better, punk!”

           “GOOD! WE’LL SEE YOU SOON, THEN. LATER. GOODBYE.” _Click._

          Flowey raised an eyebrow. “What was that about?”

          Frisk shrugged. “Maybe, um, Dr. Alphys got nervous about something in her lab. I don’t know. Hey, Sans! Could you help us? Maybe you can teleport into her lab or something.”

           “nah, kid. i’d rather not.” Sans shook his head. “doc usually lets me in. but last time i tried getting in there while she was in a mood, she nearly dusted me. but i’m sure you’ll be fine.”

          Flowey gave him a blank look. “You’re a coward.”

           “Um! Well, thank you, anyway!” Frisk waved to him and walked away. They were soon outside Dr. Alphys’ lab. The door opened for them. Frisk recoiled in surprise. The lights were off so the only light came from the door to the outside and the bathroom. Curious, Frisk trotted to the light.

           “Wait!” Flowey looked down at their feet. “There’s a paper!”

           “Really?” Frisk felt the floor with their hand before picking up a note. “What does it say?”

           “Wow this is terrible handwriting. ‘I’m sorry for running away but I’” Flowey paused. There was quite a bit of scribbling and crossing out. “‘Thank you for your help. But you can’t just make my problems disappear. It’s time to stop lying. It’s time to become a better person. I want this to be very clear: this is no one’s problem but mine. The elevator north of this note is open. If you want to know the truth, then use the elevator. See who I really am. I’m sorry,’” Flowey read aloud. “That’s all she wrote.”

           “Oh. Oh dear. Well then… we have to help.” Frisk turned and strolled into the elevator.

           “F-Frisk, I don’t know about this,” Flowey stated. “This doesn’t seem right.”

           “Relax. If Dr. Alphys came down here, then it’s probably not lethal.” Frisk pressed the button. The elevator doors closed.

          Red lights began to flash. An intercom cried, “WARNING! WARNING! EMERGENCY! EM TETHER STABILITY LOST! ALTITUDE DROPPING!”

          Frisk and Flowey both screamed in absolute panic as the elevator, shuttering and blaring red, dropped.

          …

          _CRASH!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down.


	5. True Lab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth or Dare?

          Frisk groaned and opened their eyes. The elevator was very dark. The doors were open so light, dim and green, flowed into the elevator. Chara sat beside them. _“You’ve been asleep for half an hour. You are now in the True Lab.”_

           “True Lab?” Frisk mumbled and crawled to their knees. “Flowey?” There was no response. “Flowey? Oh my God! Flowey are you okay?!” Frisk tore their backpack from their back and looked at Flowey. Currently, he was hiding inside the backpack. He trembled and whimpered and sniffled. “Flowey? Flowey we’re okay. We’re okay. I promise. We’re okay.” Their hand brushed over his tattered petals and the back of his head. “We’re okay. We’re alive.”

          Flowey whimpered and shied away.

           “We’re fine. I promise.” Frisk hugged the backpack and set their cheek on Flowey’s head. “We’ll get out of here, okay? Come on.” Frisk put the backpack on again and stood up. Their locket turned a deep shade of orange. Chara stood up as well. “Let’s see if we can find a way out. Hey, Flowey? Want to talk about where we’ll go for that dinner on the surface?”

          Flowey didn’t respond.

          As Frisk walked they chattered on, “Well, there’s this really good pizza joint near the edge of the city. It’s really nice.”

          Green began to glow on the wall next to them. Frisk hesitated. A sign with green words glowed beside them. “Hey, Flowey? There’s a sign here. Could you read it for me?”

           “…”

          Chara looked at the sign and read aloud, _“‘Entry Number 1: This is it… time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL.’”_ There was another one beside that. _“‘Entry Number 2: The barrier is locked by SOUL power. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now… the SOULs of monsters.’”_ There was a third. _“‘Entry Number 3: But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require an incredible amount of power. Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL’s host. And, unlike the persistent SOULs of humans… the SOULs of monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster’s soul last…’ … ‘Entry Number 5: I’ve done it. Using the blueprints, I’ve extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe that this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living… the resolve to change fate. Let’s call this power… Determination.’”_

          Frisk stared at the glowing screen. So, that’s what determination was- or, rather, what it meant. Frisk turned and continued down a bend in the hallway. Eventually, they got to a small room. A sparkle was near the door. They could feel Chara’s energy flow through it. However, Chara didn’t say a word. A large door with three colored circles on it dominated the opposite wall. A vending machine was beside it. Two hallways sprouted from either wall. Frisk knelt beside a tattered note. “Flowey? Can you read this?” The flower didn’t respond.

          _“It’s so tattered, most of it is illegible. ‘elevator… lost power… enter the center door.’ That’s all that could be read.”_

          Frisk got up and walked to the right hallway. It wasn’t very long. It ended in a door with a red panel on the front. It couldn’t be opened. The young human turned and walked around to the other side. There, they found another screen.

          _“‘King ASGORE asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had ‘fallen down’. Their bodies came in today. They’re still comatose. And soon, they’ll all turn into dust… But what happens when I inject ‘determination’ into them? If their souls persist after they perish, then… Freedom might be closer than we all thought.’”_

          Frisk hesitated. “Can monsters… have determination? It sounds like they don’t. I mean, I always thought that it was something everyone had.”

          Chara shook their head. _“No, Frisk. Only humans can create and handle determination. That’s what makes our souls so powerful, you know- and why we’re needed.”_

           “Oh.” Frisk left the hallway and came to a small, long room. Three operating tables filled most of the room. A glowing screen with green letters shone beside it. Frisk approached the thing in curiosity. They accidently touched the bed. They recoiled in disgust and surprise. It was sticky.

          _“‘Entry Number 9: things aren’t going well. none of the bodies have turned to dust, so I can’t get the SOULs. i told the families that i would give the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what’s wrong. what do i do?’”_

          Frisk turned and walked around to the other side of the room. Three sinks sat on the wall opposite two tables. Frisk touched the sinks. They were surprisingly dry. They turned on the one closest to the wall. Pure, clean water rushed from the facet. They turned it off. The second facet yielded the same results. The third facet… did not. White goop slithered out of the drain. Frisk took a step back. The sink filled and then overfilled with the white goop. Finally, the sink stopped spilling out the white stuff. A creature emerged from the white muck.

          Frisk’s soul appeared before them. They took a few steps back. Three… creatures floated before them. What were they? All of them looked to be a giant, morphing amalgamation of faces with a tail slithering out of the back of the ‘head’. All three said nothing and did nothing but shift and change as if they were made by half-melted gelatin.

          Frisk turned to Chara. The ghost shrugged. _“I know nothing of these creatures.”_

          Frisk turned back to them. When they attempted to speak, all that came out of their multiple faces was computer or printer noise. Then, they vanished. They began to reappear in random places. White circles would glow from the floor and they would spring out. Frisk was grimly reminded of Captain Undyne’s fighting.

          Once they gave up their turn, the three blobs appeared before them again. “They can’t speak…” Frisk muttered. “Can they talk just not speak well?” They took out their phone.

          Immediately, voices wheezed from the receiver. “Come join the fun.”

          The three blobs vanished and resumed their attack of jumping out of the floor.

          Once the attack was over, Frisk turned to Chara. _“Memoryheads. That’s all I know.”_

           “Come join the fun!” “It’s a real get together.” The memoryheads attacked them again.

          Frisk dodged their attacks as best they could. Flowey was still no help. Once the three appeared in their place, Frisk shook their head. “No. I do not want to join you.”

           “That’s a shame…” The memoryheads stared at them and then vanished.

          Frisk put a hand to their chest. “That was… an encounter. What even were they? Where they monsters?”

          Chara shrugged. _“I’ve never met monsters like them. There’s a red key in the sink.”_

           “Huh?” Frisk turned back to the sink. Indeed, a red key glinted from within. They took it and put it on their keychain. “Hopefully this is useful in the future.”

          There was a room above them. A large device with two cables in the top and two in the bottom melted into the wall was in the room. A red keyhole glimmered in dull light. A note lay on the ground. _“‘drain… dropped it…’ That’s all that I could make out.’”_

          Frisk stuck the red key into the keyhole. _Click!_ The key fit perfectly. The unlocked circle of color glowed in a fresh fervor. Frisk turned and trotted out of the room and then into the hallway. The door with the four circles of color had changed. The red circle now glowed. The door near it with the red lock glowed as well. It opened upon being approached. This led them to another hallway with signs.

          _“‘Entry Number 12: nothing’s happening. i don’t know what to do. i’ll just keep injecting everything with ‘determination’. i want this to work.’ … ‘Entry Number 13: one of the bodies opened its eyes.’”_

           “You mean… they woke up?” Frisk gasped. “But they were dying…” When they turned to Chara, the ghost just shrugged again. Frisk turned and moved forward. This time, they entered a large room filled with beds. One bed was not neat. It seemed like a comfortable bed. Frisk gave Chara a coy smile. “Should I lay on it?”

          Chara gave them a blank expression. _“We’re in a haunted lab, Frisk. Why?”_

           “I’m doing it.” Frisk took off the backpack and lay down. They set the backpack in front of them. Flowey was still hiding. If he wasn’t, they’d be able to see each other. No. Instead, he was still cowering in the backpack.

          _“Frisk. Don’t. Move. A. Muscle.”_

          Frisk gave Flowey a questioning look as they couldn’t turn around to look at Chara. A white… blob that might have been a hand grabbed the blanket that had been slid to the foot of the bed. The blob, and the arm it was attached to, brought the blanket up and over Frisk so that the cool blanket touched their ears. The creature gave them a pat on the head before vanishing.

          Frisk looked back at Chara and then jumped out of bed. They brought Flowey with them. When they hit the ground, they staggered and grabbed onto the rail for balance. “What was that!?”

          _“The reason you shouldn’t mess around,”_ Chara pointed out.

          Frisk wrinkled their nose at Chara. “Oh fine. I get your point. Are you okay, Flowey? …okay. You don’t have to answer me.” They gently put the backpack on and continued walking. From there, they inspected the beds. All but one bed was the same, well-made, clean bed. One bed had a large yellow key stuck under it. Frisk, satisfied, put the golden key on their keychain. They gave Chara smug smile. “I didn’t die looking under the blankets.” They trotted over to a sparkle.

          _“Assuming that you have won an argument fills you with determination.”_

          Frisk laughed and wrinkled their nose at Chara before approaching the door nearby. Green letters glowed from the wall.

          Chara approached it. _“‘Entry Number 14: Everyone that had fallen down… has woken up. They’re all walking around and talking as if nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners…?’”_

          Frisk trotted out of the door and into the hall. They were almost immediately presented with another sign. This time, it was a bit to the left so they had to go down the hallway a bit to reach it.

          _“‘Entry Number 15: Seems like this research was a dead end… but at least we got a happy ending out of it…? I sent the SOULs back to King ASGORE and returned the vessel to his garden… and I called all of the families and told them everyone’s alive. I’ll send everyone back tomorrow. :)’”_

           “There’s an actually ‘smiley face’ there?” Frisk prompted. Chara nodded. “Weird. Well, at least there’s a happy ending. What does the next one say?”

          Chara moved over to the one farther down the hall. _“‘Entry Number 16: no No NO NO NO NO NO’”_

          Frisk’s faint smile fell. “Oh no. Is something… wrong? We need to find the next entry.”

          Chara nodded. _“We do.”_

          A bit farther down the hall was a door. At the end was a show curtain. A shadow waved slowly back and forth. Since Frisk didn’t see this, they continued to trot down the hallway. They pulled back the curtains. A green key glinted in the empty tub. Frisk took the key and fixed it to their keychain. They resumed trotting out of the small room and into the hallway.

          Frisk stopped. The medium-sized room they entered had a gaping hole so large there was hardly any room to move around. A giant skull took up the entirety of the gaping hole. It was similar to a gaster blaster hooked up to all types of machines. A golden shimmer blocked the path down. So, Frisk walked up and into another room. This one was occupied by a TV, shelves of tapes, and a key-machine. This time, the key-hole was yellow- just like the one in the bed. Frisk inserted the yellow key into it. _Click!_ “What’s that?” Frisk prompted and turned to the TV.

          _“It’s a VHS player. There are a few tapes already picked out beside it,”_ Chara informed them. _“They’re labeled in a specific order. Do you want to watch them?”_

          Frisk nodded. “Okay. I can’t see them, but I can listen. Maybe they’ll tell us more about what happened to those poor monsters who nearly died. Which is the first one? Right… here? Good!” They tapped the VHS player and slid the cartridge into the machine.

          The TV turned on. There was no visual. It was much too dark in the video. There was audio, however. _“Psssst. Gorey, wake up.”_ Toriel’s sweet, hushed voice came out of the TV. Frisk’s eyes grew round. Chara glanced at Frisk and then Flowey. Flowey raised his head and turned around to look at the dark TV.

          _“Mm? What is it dear?”_ King Asgore’s slow, heavy voice prompted. _“…err, and why do you have that video camera?”_

          _“Shush! I want to get your reaction. Gorey, dearest. What is my favorite vegetable?”_

          Chara and Flowey piped up, “Carrots!”

          _“Hmmm… carrots, right?”_ King Asgore prompted.

          Toriel giggled. _“No, no, no! My FAVORITE vegetable is… eda-MOM-e. …get it?”_

          There was a short pause. _“Go back to bed, dear.”_

          _“No, no! Not yet! Hehehe. Now, if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?”_

          _“Hmmm… I don’t know, honey. What type of dog would you be?”_

          _“I would be… a MOMERANIAN.”_

          _“Hohoho!”_ King Asgore laughed. _“You sure are excited to have this child.”_ Chara looked at Flowey in astonishment and then back to the TV. King Asgore continued in a sly voice, _“You know… if you keep making jokes like this… one day, you could be… a famous MOMedian.”_

          There was a short pause. _“Well, I am going to bed.”_

          _“Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny!”_

          _“Hahaha, I know. I am just teasing you. Goodnight, dear.”_

          _“Goodnight, honey.”_

          _“…oh dear. Perhaps it is too dark for the video to come out…”_

          The tape popped out. Frisk put it carefully back. “That had nothing to do with this… But they seemed happy. I haven’t ever heard Toriel talk like that before, or King Asgore.”

          _“Perhaps they’re not happy now,”_ Chara suggested.

           “Maybe. That’s really sad. I hope we find out what happened to these people! Then, maybe once all this blows over and everyone’s here, Toriel and King Asgore can meet again.”

          _“Maybe.”_

          Frisk put in the second tape. Birdsong met their ears.

          _“Okay, Chara, are you ready?”_ A high-pitched, boyish voice piped up.

           “Chara…?” Frisk asked and tipped their head.

          _“Do your creepy face! Ahh! Hehehe! Oh. I had the lens cap on… What? You’re not going to do it again…? Come on! Quite tricking me! Haha!”_ The birdsong ended.

           “Who was that?” Frisk turned to Chara. They only stared at the screen with a morose look in their gaze. Flowey copied them. Frisk put in the third tap. “There are five of these. One of these is different… not that I don’t want to know who these people are, though.”

           _“Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!”_ The happy, boyish voice was accompanied by birdsong. There was a slight pause. Chara smiled. _“Ha! This time I got you! I left the lens cap on… on purpose! Now you’re smiling for nooo reason! Hehehe!”_ There was a quiet voice in the background that Frisk couldn’t quite make out. _“What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter… but we accidently put in buttercups instead. Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made mom really upset. I should have laughed it off… like you did. Um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera? Okay.”_

           “Buttercups…” Frisk mumbled. “Where did I hear that before? Flowey? Do you remember?”

          Flowey piped up, “Wh-why don’t you just put the next one in. Number four, right?”

           “Okay.” Frisk switched out the VHS tapes.

          The birdsong was a bit fainter. _“I don’t like this idea, Chara. Wh… what? N-no, I’m not… big kids don’t cry. Yeah, your right. No! I’d never doubt you, Chara… Never! Y… yeah! We’ll be strong! We’ll free everyone. I’ll go get the flowers.”_ Chara winced and looked away. Flowey had a similar reaction.

          Frisk soundlessly took that tape out and put in the last one.

          Toriel’s soft, concerned voice was the first thing they heard. _“Chara… Can you hear me? We want you to wake up…”_

          King Asgore’s stern, if soft, voice continued, _“Chara! You have to stay determined! You can’t give up… you are the future of humans and monsters…”_

          The boy piped up, _“Psst… Chara… Please… wake up… I don’t like this plan anymore. I… I… no. I said… I said I’d never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six… And we’ll do it together, right?”_

          The tape ended.

           “That’s what I keep hearing…” Frisk muttered. “That’s who’s talking to me every time I die. ‘You can’t give up just yet… Chara! Stay determined…’ or something like that. Then I wake up. What is it?” They turned to Chara. The ghost was looking at their lap. “Chara?”

          _“It is the past and unimportant for this mission. You need not speak of it further,”_ Chara stated in a flat voice.

           “But, Chara! I need to–”

          _“Need to what?”_ Chara asked in a dry voice and narrowed their scarlet eyes at them. Frisk shut their mouth. _“You’re too curious, Frisk. Get up. It’s time to focus on the mission at hand.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I say Truth.


	6. Amalgamation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what's going on here, don't you?

          Frisk got to their feet and walked out of the small room. They got to the yellow sparkle at the bottom of the room. However, upon approaching it, it changed. It melted into a white color and expanded into a humanoid shape.

          Frisk’s soul appeared before them. The smell of sweet lemons permeated the vicinity. The creature before them looked a bit like Shyren. It had her body. However, a thick muscled arm was folded behind its back. Three large, black bubbles formed on its melting chest. Its black, smooth head often morphed. Bubbles formed sharp, long teeth that shook. Sometimes, its head morphed so that it spiked upward and showed large, sharp eyes.

          It looked like Shyren… Frisk hummed a familiar, sad tune they sang with Shyren. Lemon Bread’s teeth shook. “Welcome to my special hell.” A collection of so many voices spoke all around them at the exact same time. High voices, low voices, loud and soft- there was no telling them apart. The creature’s mouth opened wide and it lunged. Frisk was hardly able to dodge. The only reason they could was due to the fact that one if its teeth was missing. Each time the creature bit at them, a good three times in total, the place of the missing tooth changed.

          Bubbles that formed on them looked like Moldbygg… Frisk held up their hands and took a step back. Lemon Bread’s teeth shake. “But nobody came.” This time, candy-corn shaped teeth floated around Frisk. Orbs of red and orange shot at them. Yet they were together so it may as well have been white. That would have made it easier for them to dodge. Flowey’s vines wrapped around Frisk’s feet and guided them back away from the attacks. Finally, the creature stopped attacking.

          It had Aaron’s arm… Frisk flexed one of their arms. Lemon Bread’s eyes narrow as it hesitated its attack. “I’ve felt this before…” Lemon bread snapped at them again. Again, they dodged. Yet it didn’t seem that Lemon Bread’s heart was in it. Frisk waved goodbye. Lemon Bread melted away.

           “That was odd… poor thing…” Frisk muttered. They nearly left when a sign glowed beside the skull-tube machine.

          Flowey looked up as they approached it. “‘DT EXTRACTION MACHINE. STATUS: INACTIVE’.”

           “DT… is that determination?” Frisk prompted. “That sounds like it would be. If so, then… this is an odd way of getting it.” The room at the end in which they attempted to enter was full of fog. They couldn’t see past their own nose! So, they turned and trotted back to the yellow glimmer in the bed room. Chara didn’t comment. Frisk stepped back into the hallway and went to the right. The door there yielded a foggy room. However, the fog was not impenetrable. There was a giant wall of fans there. A screen glowed near the fans.

          Flowey looked it over. “‘Entry Number 11: now that mettaton’s made it big, he never talks to me anymore. …except to ask when i’m going to finish his body. but i’m afraid if i finish his body, he won’t need me anymore… then we’ll never be friends ever again.’”

           “If this is from Dr. Alphys, then… were they friends? They didn’t act like it when they were being snarky.”

           “Everyone’s snarky here,” Flowey pointed out.

           “That’s true.” At the end of the room, the fans stopped. There was a switch. Once it was pressed, the fog was blown away. White particles that floated about the air merged together. More and more particles joined into the growing ball until finally it dropped. When it hit the ground, it turned into a giant, six-legged dog. Its face was missing and, like all the others, seemed to be melting and shifted constantly. Black shapes under it seemed to be made of dogs, too.

          Frisk hesitated and beckoned it. “Here, doggy!” The creature bounded forward, flecking a strange liquid from an orifice. It’s attack as simple. It jumped into the air and barked.

          Once the amalgamate stopped barking its attack, Frisk petted it. Its sticky, white pelt clung to their hand. Excited, it convulsed and then calmed. It rested its giant, melting head on their lap and began to fall asleep. Suddenly, it shot away and began climbing wildly on the walls. It barked at them again, shooting the strange attack at the cornered kid.

          Once it was over, the amalgamate began to strike the wall with its claws. Frisk chucked their knife across the room. The amalgamate caught it before it hit the ground and raced back. It dropped the weapon in their hands. Its chest puffed out and melting tail wagged. They repeated this process a few times. Each time it was thrown, both party got a bit more tired. By the fourth-time Frisk received their dagger, the amalgamate stopped them from throwing it. It flopped down and leaned its dripping, amorphous body on them. Frisk petted it. The dog-creature’s tail thumped the ground. It sounded like a wet mop striking the floor. They petted decisively. Suddenly, the dog calmed. Endogeny was contented. It got up and vanished.

          Frisk put away their knife and shook themselves off. The white liquid that had gotten onto them vanished as well. “Aw. Poor dog. Maybe we can enter that fogged room, now!”

           “I really don’t want to,” Flowey groaned. “But there’s probably another color-lock in there.”

          Frisk walked carefully down the halls and around the DT extraction machine. The room that was once very foggy was clear. A line of refrigerators lined up in the room. On the wall behind them, boards began to flash.

          Flowey read aloud each one in turn, “‘Entry Number 19: the families keep asking me when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don’t even answer the phone anymore.’ … ‘Entry Number 20: King ASGORE left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry, one about this cute teacup he found that looked like me. thanks king asgore.’ … ‘Entry Number 21: i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it’s my element.’ That’s it.”

          Frisk looked about at the refrigerators. There was a door at the end of the room. However, they couldn’t leave just yet. They walked around and attempted to open the closest fridge. It was empty. Frisk turned and nearly walked away. However, they found that they couldn’t. Their soul beat before their chest. They whipped around. Standing before them was a creature like Snow Drake. She moved her dripping wings and opened her beak. Two faces on either side of her face opened and closed their mouths, too. They didn’t make a sound. A depression fell over them so tangible that it made the room cold.

           “Um… why couldn’t the two monsters cross the ravine? There was _snow_ way they could!” Frisk offered with a small chuckle.

          Her expression started to shift. “Haha… I… remem… ber…” The ice somewhere in the corner manifested into a useless attack. It didn’t even drift toward them. The poor attack melted away.

           “So, I guess you think my puns are _ice?_ ” Frisk tried.

          Her expression changed more. They could see her beak beginning to turn up into a smile. “Haha… thank… you…” Snowflakes drifted around them for a few moments before melting.

           “Hehe. I’m _snow_ glad I could help.”

          She was completely calm, now. The amalgamate mother of snow drake fluttered and vanished. In her wake was a small blue key.

          Frisk picked it up and traveled into the last room. It was simply a small room with a key-machine in it. This one was green. It didn’t take them that long to return to the bed room. When they did, they found another hallway. This one led into a long room. One side of the room was covered almost completely by mirrors. The pattern was broken in places to allow room for the message boards. The other side was a very long table full of potted yellow flowers. Flowey vanished into the backpack. Frisk stopped and looked back. “Flowey? Hey, Flowey? Are you okay? Is something wrong here?”

          They started to take off their backpack but yelped in pain as a barbed vine smacked their hand away. “N-NO! NO! No. Please don’t… just, please don’t let go.”

          Frisk let their hand fall by their side. “Okay. I won’t let anything hurt you, Flowey. I hope you know that.” Flowey didn’t respond.

          Chara walked to their other side and piped up, _“‘Entry Number 7: We’ll need a vessel to house the monster SOULs when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULs of other monsters. Just as a human cannot absorb a human SOUL… So then… what about something that’s neither human nor monster?’ … ‘Entry Number 10: experiments on the vessels are a failure. it doesn’t seem to be any different than the control cases. whatever. they’re a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you and won’t let go’”_

          A door was at the end of the hallway. A long wall of mirrors was between it and the screen. The table full of flowers ended just about there. Frisk continued through the hall. They gasped in shock as their soul pattered and appeared before them. Melting in from above came a giant, bird-like creature. Its body and wings were small with long legs. But its neck was extremely long and held a large head. Occasionally, it’s beak would switch sides of its head. When it blinked, it had teeth instead of eye lashes.

          Its wings… those wings were shaped like Whimsalot. Frisk knelt before it and held their hands together. “Please, Bird. Don’t hurt us!”

          The bird relaxed in the slightest. It opened its beak to speak. A flurry of different garbles voices saying a plethora of different, garbled words spoke to them. Another form, rounded with a large belly and round, black eyes, appeared beside it. Yet it didn’t attack. A swarm of moths attacked its head. Soundlessly, the large creature fell to its knees and attempted to wave away the moths. It failed miserably. Eventually, it disappeared.

          Its head was spikey, like Final Froggit’s… Frisk held their hands together to form rings. One ring was inside the other. They held their hands behind their head and then showed them. Their hands were separate. The bird cocked its head in surprise and wonder. It tried to speak again, but it turned out as many garbled voices saying many garbled things. The moth-headed creature appeared. It took a few steps toward them. Moths flew away from the creature to attack Frisk. Without Flowey to aid them, it was significantly harder. A few cracks formed in their soul.

          Its eye had teeth and eyelashes were like eyes as well… Frisk puffed up their chest. “Why are you picking on us, pigeon?”

          Reaper Bird straightened up and stared at them. A look of recognition returned to its gaze. _“Someone finally gets it.” “Ribbit, Ribbit.” “Courage…”_ Reaper Bird vanished.

          Frisk walked away. The small room held only a key-machine. This one was blue. _Click!_ The blue key fit perfectly.

          Frisk retraced their steps. At the very beginning, the door with the four colored circles now glowed. It opened to allow them passage. It led to an elevator but with two entrances. Frisk decided to walk through the other one. Although two electric signs hung on the wall, none of them glowed. Power had been cut to them. The hall eventually led to a large room. At the end was a power generator. Cords and cables and beams filled the area behind it and even leaked into the walls around it. Frisk activated it. Machines began to whirr as electricity raced through the rest of the building. They turned to leave. Four amalgamates blocked their path. All four of the white blobs crept toward them, shifting eyes staring straight at Frisk. They gasped and backed up. Unfortunately, since their back touched the power machine, they were cornered. They could only watch as the four creatures crept closer and closer and closer until–

           “Hey! Stop!” A quiet bark sounded from the entrance to the room. Dr. Alphys, a clean lab coat donned, appeared at the entrance to the room. She shuffled forward. They parted a path to Frisk and Flowey. “I got food for you guys, okay?” The four amalgamates rushed away. Dr. Alphys stared after them before turning back to Frisk. “I’m sorry. They get irritated when they don’t get dinner on time. I guess they smelled food on you. Anyway! The power went off so I was trying to turn it back on. I guess you beat me to it. This was probably just a big inconvenience for you. But thank you for trying to help me. I think I owe you an explanation.”

          Frisk nodded. “Yes, please.”

          Dr. Alphys took a deep breath. “As you know, King Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I isolated a power called ‘determination’. I injected it into monsters so that their souls would persist after death… but it failed. You see, unlike human bodies, monster bodies aren’t able to handle determination. We just don’t have the physical power that humans do. So, their bodies melted and lost what physicality they had. Soon enough, all of the patients had melted into each other. Seeing them like this, I knew I couldn’t tell their families. I was too afraid to do anymore work. Everything I’ve done is a failure. But now I’ve changed my mind. I have failed and everyone has paid the price. I won’t hide it any longer. Thank you for believing in me when I couldn’t even believe in myself.” She turned and shuffled out of the room.

          Flowey peeked out from behind Frisk’s shoulder. “She’s… gone? She’s taking everyone away?”

           “It sounds like it!” Frisk purred. “That’s so good to hear. I’m sure that it won’t be fun seeing their families all merged together. But at least they’ll know that their families are still there. Or, at least, that they still have families at all.” Frisk, Chara, and Flowey left the room. The two panels beside them glowed.

          Chara piped up, _“‘Entry Number 8: I’ve chosen a candidate. I haven’t told King Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it… In the center of his garden, there’s something special. The first golden flower that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder… what happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?’ … ‘Entry Number 18: the flower’s gone.’”_

          Frisk stopped. “Flowey?”

           “Y-yeah?”

           “Were you created here?”

           “Huh?” Flowey turned around to look at Frisk.

          They looked back. “Is that why you’re so scared of this place? Of Dr. Alphys? Because she created you here?”

          Flowey looked away. “Er, it’s a long story. We have to get going.”

           “Flowey, it’s okay,” Frisk soothed. “It’s okay. Whatever happened… I need to know what happened.”

           “Why?” Flowey prompted. “Why do you have to know?”

           “Because I care for you, Flowey. This whole thing… it’s got some mysteries in it. You… you don’t have a soul, do you?”

           “No. I’m a flower, Frisk. Flowers don’t have souls,” Flowey pointed out.

           “You mentioned Chara a few times. You mistook me for them. You knew Toriel’s house. You said you helped your father after he got poisoned. You even talked during that tape! When Toriel asked about her favorite vegetable! Flowey, is there something about you that I don’t know?” Frisk prompted.

           “Yes. A lot of things,” Flowey agreed. “But it’s complicated.”

           “I’m your friend, Flowey. You can trust me,” Frisk urged.

           “I… I know. Frisk, you’ve been an amazing friend. But I just… don’t want to talk right now. Later, okay? Give me a little bit of time, please,” Flowey begged.

           “Okay.” Frisk turned and walked down the corridor. They entered the elevator.

           “W-wait. Frisk.” Flowey stopped them.

           “Yeah?” Frisk prompted.

          One of Flowey’s vines whipped out and pressed a button. The elevator doors slammed closed. “Hold on.” Frisk hardly put their hands on the nearest railing before the elevator shot up. Frisk yelled in fright and shut tight their eyes. Flowey’s vines wrapped around their arms and the railing. They couldn’t move their arms if they tried. They couldn’t fall if they tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, actually, we do.


	7. True Knife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Right where it belongs.

          The elevator stopped. Flowey and Frisk both let go. When they stepped outside, they found themselves very close to the castle. “How’d we get here?” Frisk murmured.

           “It’s a shortcut,” Flowey explained. “Now let’s go meet the king. Now that we’ve freed the amalgamates and helped Dr. Alphys, we have a stronger cause. We’ll have people whom we’ve helped. The king will understand that.”

          Frisk nodded and went up to the first elevator they found. It took them directly next to the Judgement Hall. They passed through multiple hallways. They walked through the flower-laden thrown room. They approached the doorway that led to the barrier. A yellow glimmer shone next to it.

          _“Knowing that you are about to free the underground fills you with determination.”_

          Frisk strode into the barrier room.

           “Oh? Back so soon…?” King Asgore prompted. “How are you feeling?”

           “Well, thank you. I’m ready,” Frisk stated.

           “F-Frisk? Can you, uh, put me down, first?” Flowey requested.

           “Oh! Sure.” Frisk took off their backpack and set it on the ground next to the entrance. Their necklace turned into a deep green.

           “I… I see. This is it, then.” King Asgore turned around. “Ready?” The souls appeared before them. King Asgore shut his eyes. “Human… it was nice to meet you. Goodbye.”

           “W-wait!” Frisk gasped. “Please, I need to tell you something!”

          King Asgore ignored them. He lowered his head and readied his weapon. Quite suddenly, he looked up. A great gust of crystal blue fire rammed into him. He cried out in surprise as he was thrown back. Toriel took his place. She looked down at Frisk with such affection they were surprised it was turned to them. They felt Chara’s presence, and happiness, like a heat. “My child! You are safe! I am sorry. I thought that separation would help us both. But I couldn’t stop worrying about your journey. I knew that it would be treacherous- especially for such a kind soul. I knew that you would ultimately have to make a terrible choice. In order to leave, you would need to take King Asgore’s life. However, I realized something. I cannot allow that. So, for now, let us suspend this battle.”

           “Toriel.” King Asgore had gotten up and now stared at her with wide eyes. “You came back…!”

           “Yes!” Toriel purred. “This human! They came through the Ruins and–”

           “Turned out to be a poor fighter,” King Asgore agreed, his voice getting dry. “Which is funny how it seems to happen to _all_ children you attempt to keep.”

          Toriel’s gaze darkened. “Asgore, please! That isn’t my fault. I’m just doing what’s best for them!”

           “What’s best for them?” the king snarled. “What would’ve been ‘best’ was to train them with everyone else!”

           “I didn’t know they’d go to the surface! I didn’t know that he’d try to fight _humans!_ I just wanted them to be kids for a little while longer, Asgore.”

           “Kids? Well know they’re dust and bones,” King Asgore growled. “Thanks to you, the entirety of the underground can only see the dust that they create, the souls that they break. Why? Because our children died and destroyed hope for everyone!”

           “Me? You’re blaming me for that?” Toriel’s hands lit of crystal blue fire. “You’re the king! It’s your job, just as it is mine, to keep our kingdom in good terms. But I couldn’t do it all by myself!”

           “What did you do, then? You hid behind a door completely sealed so that nothing but the tiniest of things could get through. That helped us a lot,” King Asgore growled.

           “Look I… understand,” Toriel sighed. The fire vanished. “I understand how terrible I’ve acted and the decisions I’ve made. But… once this ends… can we still be friends?”

           “ _No_ , Toriel.”

          Then, heavy boots cracked into floor. Frisk ducked as Captain Undyne leaped clear over them. A spear appeared in her hands and she landed before Frisk, eyes darting about. “Nggaaah! King Asgore! Human! No one fight anyone! Everyone’s going to calm down or else I’ll be forced to- to-?” Her gaze landed on Toriel.

          Completely immune to Captain Undyne’s threatening nature, Toriel purred, “Hello! I am Toriel. Are you the human’s friend? It’s nice to meet you!”

          Captain Undyne let go of the spear. It vanished into thin air. “Uh… yeah…?” She trotted over to her king. “Er, King Asgore? Is that the queen? Oh. That’s, uh, rough.”

          Dr. Alphys’ thick feet pattered on the ground as she sprinted inside. She stopped so suddenly she nearly tripped over herself. “H-hey! No one hurt each other! So many people don’t want the child… to… die…?” Dr. Alphys looked at Toriel.

           “Oh!” Toriel purred. “Are you another friend? I’m Toriel. Hello!”

           “Er, hello!” Dr. Alphys’ eyes trained on Frisk. “There’s two of them?” she breathed in exasperation before meeting her girlfriend by King Asgore.

          Frisk couldn’t even answer. Black and red boots flashed over the ground beside Frisk. Papyrus came to a stop between the young human and Toriel. A red bone was gripped in his hand and another few jumped in front of Frisk. “HALT! NO ONE TAKE A STEP FURTHER, THIS FIGHT WILL NOT… PROGRESS…?” He turned to look at Toriel.

          Toriel waved. “Hello! I am Toriel. It’s nice to meet you.”

           “ER- HELLO.” He glanced back at Frisk. “IS THAT… _THE QUEEN?_ _”_

          Frisk gave him a small nod. The bones before the young human vanished. “She’s Toriel.”

           “…THE ONE YOU CALLED MOTHER,” Papyrus stated. Frisk nodded happily.

           “hey guys. what’s up?” Sans strolled in behind Papyrus and came around to Frisk’s other side.

          Toriel gasped. “That voice…!” She looked at Sans and trotted to stand in front of him. She dwarfed him in size. “Hello. I think we may know each other?”

           “hey! i recognize your voice, too.”

           “I am Toriel. It’s so nice to meet you.”

           “the name’s sans and, ah, same.” Sans gave her a nod of his head.

           “Hehehe…” Toriel chuckled. Papyrus and Sans backed up so that they all stood together. The queen smiled. “My child. It seems as if you must stay a while longer. But with so many friends here, I don’t think that will be much of a problem. You might even be happy here.”

          Dr. Alphys nodded. “A-After helping so many people, no one wants your soul anymore.”

          Captain Undyne puffed out her chest. “The rate of casualties has gone down by over half! Whatever positivity and happiness you have is infectious!”

          Tears glimmered In Frisk’s useless eyes. “Y-yeah! We can all be friends together! Flowey did you-?” Frisk spun around. The backpack was empty. “Flowey?” Light green vines whipped out of the ground around them. Within seconds, they wrapped around Frisk’s legs, arms, chest, waist, shoulders, and neck. They forced them to their knees. The vines pulled them so tight that they were almost bent completely over and their chest began to hurt. Flowey popped out of the ground before them. A giant, thorny branch wider than King Asgore erupted from one of the walls and slashed across Frisk’s friends. Vines erupted from that, too, and tied them all together.

          Frisk looked up. The captured monsters struggled and fought with the vines. Sans, powerless, did not move. Dr. Alphys’ tail whipped back and forth and her back claws tore at the vines. They were not even scratched. Toriel summoned fire. The vines did not wither. Captain Undyne summoned a spear. The spear shattered upon impact. Bones splintered upon hitting the vines. King Asgore’s weapon clanged to the ground, utterly broken by the vines.

           “F-Flowey? Flowey! What are you doing?” Frisk cried.

          Flowey looked back at them. Six brightly colors souls flashed around him before melting into his small body. “Frisk. I’m doing what I need to do.”

           “What? You don’t need to hurt anyone!” Frisk yelped. “Please don’t hurt them! Please! They’ve done nothing wrong! We’re trying to _help_ them!” Although the monsters quit struggling, their hate did not cease. It was simply directed at the object of their misery.

           “They’re not hurt,” Flowey stated. “They’ve simply been contained. I know that no one is going to agree with me. But Frisk, this must be done.”

           “Wh-what must be done?”

           “Do you remember that talk we had? About the king?” Flowey persisted.

          Frisk nodded. “Y-yeah. We agreed that we wouldn’t hurt him- _neither_ of us would. No matter what.”

          Flowey nodded. “And when I prompted you if worse came to worse, if he still forced a fight on you, what you would do?”

          Frisk’s blood turned to ice. “F-Flowey, please. King Asgore isn’t fighting! We’re not fighting! Please, Flowey!”

           “If you were going to do something stupid,” Flowey went on. “That I kill you.”

           “I-I’m not doing anything stupid!”

           “You are,” Flowey countered. “You brought me to that horrid place. You brought me across all this land. For what? Frisk, our happy ending won’t be yours. You realize that, right? Someone will have to die. And if someone _has_ to die, then I’m not letting Fate decide. I’m tired of being powerless. I’m tired of being stepped on. I’m tired of having everything I say disregarded and being helpless to do anything about it.” As he spoke, the vines around them constricted. Thorns bristled from thick, green vines. He sighed and relaxed so that no one would suffocate. After all, Sans was so close to dusting it was a wonder he was still alive. “I’m not letting you decide. I’m sorry, Frisk. Forgive me.”

          White pellets appeared around him they struck at Frisk’s soul. Frisk cried out in pain and struggled fiercely in the bonds that Flowey kept them wrapped up within. “Flowey, Please! Please don’t- just, listen to yourself! You’re trying to convince yourself what you’re doing is alright!”

           “Frisk, I’m not giving in to you. I’ve been with you for a long time. I know what you’re trying to do. I’ll make sure you won’t suffer for long,” Flowey stated in a flat voice. Another round of pellets struck at Frisk.

          Frisk yelped in pain. Their struggles got weaker. Cuts appeared in their skin. “Flowey, please! You’re my friend! I love you! Don’t do this. Please-” another round of bullets cracked into their soul. That was it. Their soul hovered before them. It was cracked so much that the tiniest breath could kill them. Frisk slumped their shoulders and closed their eyes. They gave Flowey a tentative smile. “So, I’m guessing we’re not going to have that dinner?” Another round of bullets surrounded them. Another round? Only one was needed.

          A round of blue fire burst around Frisk. The pellets were disintegrated. A crack on Frisk’s soul disappeared. Frisk’s eyes flashed up. Toriel gave them a small smile. “Do not be afraid, my child. No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you!”

          Flowey summoned two rows of pellets. A bone appeared on Frisk’s right. A spear materialized on their left. The pellets were vaporized. Another crack vanished. Papyrus opened his eyes. “THAT’S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO AS YOU ALWAYS SAY TO DO: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!”

          Captain Undyne crowed, “Hey! Human! If you got past me, then you can do anything! We’re with you all the way!” A third crack disappeared.

           “huh? you haven’t beaten this guy, yeah?” Sans huffed with a smirk. “kid, this weirdo has nothin’ on you.” Frisk’s soul mended a little bit more.

          Flowey summoned two more walls of pellets. A wall of electricity on Frisk’s left and a wall of yellow fire on their right destroyed the offending pellets. Their soul mended just a bit more. Dr. Alphys piped up, “Technically, it is impossible to get out of this situation as he is almost a god. Er- don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll figure a way out!”

           “Human!” King Asgore stated, “For the future of humans and monsters…! You have to stay determined!”

          Then, the room was filled. Monsters from all over the underground came to their side. The Royal Guard Dogs raced around to Frisk’s side, snarling and barking. Hackles raised and fur fluffed up, even Lesser Dog looked intimidating. Endogeny’s goop dripped on the ground behind them. The Royal Guard bunny and dragon came to them as well. Little ones like Froggit, Whimsum, Vulkin, Moldsmal, and Pyrope bounded into the mass of monsters. Monster kid tripped and fell flat on his face next to Muffet. Flowey had to move multiple times to avoid being trampled. Frisk’s soul glowed in a brilliant light. They were not only physically healed, but their determination, their hope, came back with a fervor they hadn’t felt in years. The vines around them began to loosen. Lesser Dog chewed on the vines. They wouldn’t tear. They were much too strong to be defeated by a small dog’s teeth. The small guard dog still put all of his effort and energy into attempting to tear apart the loose vines.

           “Flowey?” Frisk stated. “Look at all these people! They’re working together! Even with six souls, I don’t think you can match the Underground. Please, Flowey. Let us go. I forgive you. You’re only doing what’s right. So, I’m not mad at you.”

           “Fuck that!” Captain Undyne huffed but was quickly silenced by Toriel’s stern look.

          Flowey shook his head with a small laugh. “You’re right, Frisk. One human soul can equal the soul of every monster in the underground.” He stared Frisk straight in the eyes. “Who do you want to live?”

          Frisk felt cold.

           “You can’t even answer, can you?” Flowey prompted. “No. Because you don’t want to die. But you don’t want to stray from your morals. But deep down inside, all of us are selfish. All of us just want to survive. Sometimes, that means killing a few people.”

           “B-but… you don’t have to kill anyone…” Frisk pointed out.

          Vines erupted form the ground. Screams of pain and fear erupted from the ground as people were torn from their places and tethered. Vulkin exploded in an attempt to burn the vines. Pyrope set himself on fire. Doggo snapped his teeth into the vine and tore his head back and forth. Ice Cap attempted to freeze the vines. Snow Drake and his parents attempted to flutter away. They were snatched from the air and slammed into the ground. Nothing that anyone could do was working.

           “W-wait!” Frisk cried. “Wait! Okay, Flowey! I give! Kill me. Take my soul. Please don’t hurt them.”

           “my god does this sound familiar,” Sans huffed. “do you remember the last time they said that, you fucking back-stabbing flower?”

          Flowey didn’t look at him. Pellets surrounded them. “For the good of all monsters… don’t even attempt to stop me.”

          Yellow fire mixed with crystal blue to fend off another attack from Flowey. “No!” King Asgore growled. “I, King Asgore, will be the one to free us. Killing a human child is no longer the way to do it.”

          Toriel looked at Frisk. “Frisk, we’re only defending you. Please understand this: you are a part of us, now.”

           “You… you really mean that?” Frisk breathed. “E-even though I’m a human?”

          Toriel nodded. “Yes, my child. We will protect you. We love you, as you love us.”

           “I… we can… so, once this is over, we can be like… a family?”

           “Of course,” Toriel purred.

          King Asgore nodded. “We will be able to live in peace, young one. Together.”

          Frisk’s teary smile widened. They attempted to speak. A memory of Frisk’s family came to mind. Tagged with it was its self-destruction and ultimate spiral into abuse and depression. Their smile faded. Frisk took a deep breath and shook their head. “No. Flowey’s right, isn’t he? My happy ending… it can’t be yours.” Frisk let out a bitter laugh. “To think I was… I was beginning to think I could be happy. That I had some sort of use. Well, I guess that’s half right, huh? I’m sorry. I love all of you so much. I’m sorry. If I’d gone through the entire Underground without caring, then none of you would be here now.”

          They let out a sigh. “Flowey? You seem to remember what I’d done and said very well. Do you remember what we talked about? Before we met Dr. Alphys?”

           “What?” Flowey’s voice was small, soft.

           “I said that I would defend you,” Frisk stated. “That I would not let you get hurt. With whatever happens, whatever I do or whatever anyone does to us, that I promised that I would always make sure that you were safe.” A small smile crept upon their lips. “I, uh… heh. Welp. I guess I found just the way to do that. I love you. I love you all.” Their smile faded. “Take care.” Their necklace turned a brilliant shade of red. They drew Chara’s knife from their bag and tore their hand out of the loose bindings. “Please, God, whatever you do, don’t screw up your freedom.”

          _“FRISK!”_ The cry went up around them. Flowey’s eyes grew round in horror. Chara attempted to take the knife away. Their hand phased right through the weapon.

          _“Frisk if you kill yourself now, you will not be able to go back! Drop the knife!”_

          They gridded their teeth in pain and shuttered. Blood swelled on their shirt and dribbled down their chest. They dropped the bloody knife on the ground before them. Deep fissures cracked into their soul. Over time, cracks continued to be formed, even when the knife was thrown away. The opened their mouth in a soft laugh. Blood painted their teeth red and dribbled down their chin. “Hehe. Is this what my happy ending feels like?” They brought a closed, shaky hand to their chest and shut their eyes. “Familiar... isn’t it...?”

          Flowey appeared before them. He threw the knife away and let go of the vines. In fact, the vines throughout the entire underground fell. “I-I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry, Frisk! I changed my mind. I don’t like this plan anymore.”

          Frisk’s blurry eyes half-shut. “Please… save them…” They flopped forward.

          Flowey turned Frisk over and looked over the ghastly wound in their chest. He gasped and vanished into the ground. Otherwise, he would’ve been crushed. Dr. Alphys went to work immediately. She shoved Dogarressa back and slapped Lesser Dog with her tail to clear the people away from Frisk. Dr. Alphys sliced out a chunk of shirt over the chest. “Sans!” she barked. Sans was by her side in moments. “Put your hand on their chest and apply pressure.”

           “how _much_ pressure?” Sans prompted but set his hands on their chest anyway.

           “As much as you can. You’re weak. You shouldn’t hurt them.”

           “ _what?”_

          Dr. Alphys hovered her hand over Frisk’s chest and moved their soul so that it hovered just above them. If he wanted to, Sans could catch it. Dr. Alphys put on a headset and set a device on the soul, which was connected to the headset with a cord. After a few seconds and a glance at a pressure reading device on the cord, Dr. Alphys dropped the device and took out a needle. She drew out a tiny bit of red liquid from a vial and then kept a firm grasp on their soul.

          Toriel came up behind her. “What’s that?”

           “Determination. _Their_ determination,” Dr. Alphys replied. “They’ve lost quite a bit. Their soul is weak. They have no will to survive. Thus, their determination is low and they are very weak and vulnerable. Anything could destroy–or absorb–their soul. This injection should help. Being their own determination, which is the highest and most potent concentration that I’ve ever had, should help immensely. But it will hurt.” Dr. Alphys moved around and stepped on Frisk’s face. This, of course, caused Toriel to gasp and attempt to grab the scientist. King Asgore held her back. The doctor slid the needle into the dying child’s nearly shattered soul, injected the liquid, and then stepped back. Dr. Alphys put away most of her supplies and grabbed the device she’d use to measure their soul. She glanced at her watch. “We will wait thirty seconds. Then, I will test their soul again. If they are stable, I will require you to heal them. Once they are healed, they will need to be washed off, changed, and fed. The knife is not to go anywhere near them for the time being.”

           “Kni… ife… Ch… ch…cha…. ra…” Frisk mumbled and twitched their fingers.

           “Do not move,” Dr. Alphys stated. “You are not in good enough condition for that.”

           “knife chara?” Sans prompted. “was that a, uh, joke or somethin’?”

          Dr. Alphys looked at Sans. “They do not have appropriate levels of blood and are in a great deal of pain. Whatever they are saying right now will have very little sense.”

           “cah…rah…” Frisk corrected. Their eyes opened into slits. “No… chahr… ah… cha…ra…”

           “are you correctin’ me?” Sans prompted.

           “Stop it!” Dr. Alphys barked. Sans shrank away from her. His hands twitched as they attempted to draw back to his chest to defend him. Dr. Alphys lowered her voice. “You are encouraging them.” She picked up the other end of the device and held it to Frisk’s soul. She nodded and lowered it back into their chest. “Heal them.” Dr. Alphys ducked her head and took a step back.

          Toriel knelt and hovered both hands over Frisk’s body. Green sparks fluttered from her hands. At first, nothing happened. “My child…” Toriel whimpered. She lowered her hands. They emitted green light. The blood flow stopped but nothing else came together. “Please, my child. Please.” Her hands glowed in a new fervor. Sparks and glimmering lights wreathed about her fingers and sparkled over Frisk’s chest wound. Their wound vanished. The queen sighed and lowered her hands to her side. The green light vanished. She scooped up the young one’s head in one hand and set the other on Frisk’s chest. Sans skittered back. “You’re better now, my child. You’re alright. I’m here. We’re here for you.”

          Frisk blink and opened their eyes. “Huh…?” They coughed and cleared their throat. “Why?”

           “Why?” Toriel echoed.

           “I thought… you needed me…” Frisk mumbled. “That s-something would–”

           “Oh no! No, my child! We _do_ need you. But we need you alive, you see?” Toriel reassured them. “Please, my child. Stay with us. Stay with me.”

          Frisk didn’t respond at once. Toriel’s furry hands were much softer and fluffier than any pillow they’d had. Their eyes began to close. Frisk attempted to speak, but all that came out with a yawn. Dr. Alphys snapped her clawed fingers in front of Frisk’s nose. Frisk jolted awake. “Huh?! What-?”

           “Stay awake.” Dr. Alphys stated.

          Toriel nodded. “My child, can you answer me? Please?”

           “Yeah? Thank you.” Frisk shifted so that they set their cheek on her palm. “Thank you.”

          Flowey’s voice piped up behind them. “HEY!”

          Toriel’s head whipped around so fast it was a surprise her neck didn’t snap. “What-?!”

          Flowey raised his voice in an even higher pitch, “Frisk’s okay! They’re not dying. You’re making sure of that.” Flowey lowered his voice to an appropriate level. “But I’ll still fulfill their wish.”

          Vines whipped out of the ground. Screams filled the silence. Everything went white. Then, nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Perfect for cutting plants and vines.


	8. Starry Eyed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place.

          Frisk raised their head and blinked. They were in complete black. Not even Chara could distinguish anything from the lightless, worldless black. They looked down. They could now see their red coat with a maroon stripe over the chest. They could see their dark pants and black shoes. They could see their necklaces. One charm was a brilliant blue spear. Another charm was an upside down yellow heart. A third was a Gaster Blaster skull. The fourth was a scarlet heart locket. Then, something interrupted the black. They could now clearly see the white, yellow, and red shape before them. Prince Asriel turned around. His scarlet eyes matched Chara’s. Chara wasn’t even possessing them and they could see the kid in complete clarity. A grand smile spread across his features. Frisk clambered to their feet. Something about that smile… it seemed off.

          Prince Asriel chuckled and wiped his eyes. “Finally, I was so tired of being a flower. Chara? Are you there? It’s your best friend:” Their world flashed white. Before them was no longer the goat kid wearing a yellow-and-red striped t-shirt and dark pants. Before them was what looked like a cross between Toriel and King Asgore as young adults. His horns were slicked back. Black swirls crossed his cheek. Although he had his father’s pauldrons, his mother’s robes dressed him. “Asriel Dreemurr!”

          _Asriel Dreemurr- Attack ∞, Defense ∞. HP ∞. A legendary being made from the souls of the entire underground._

          Prince Asriel’s feet left the ‘ground’ so that he hovered above them. Frisk set a hand on their chest. Their clothes were no longer bloody and torn. They didn’t ache. Their soul glowed happily, unmarred by a single scratch. Prince Asriel swirled his hands around. Emerald fire blazed about them. This, too, they could see. They could see the balls of green fire hurled at them. Frisk jumped about the avoid the attacks. Although they tried to speak, they failed. What could they say? What words could possibly break through the pure shock and numb confusion that assaulted their brain?

          _Frisk- Defense 15, Attack 15. HP 20. Determined to SAVE monsters._

          Prince Asriel waved his hands. The black was eradicated. Colors swirled around them in stripes like the barrier’s pattern. Frisk looked about in wonder at the assortment of moving colors. Quite suddenly, the clashing colors began to make their already overstimulated mind dizzy and disoriented them.

          _Chara- Defense 15, Attack 15, HP ???. Determined to SAVE monsters._

          Frisk gasped upon feeling’s Chara’s hand on them. Unlike the many times before where they just felt heat, it was as if Chara’s hand had somehow become a physical being. Chara tapped their shoulder and pointed at Prince Asriel. “Look out!” Their voice was sharp and clear. Where the hell were they? Was this what being dead felt like?

          Prince Asriel raised his hands and vanished. Giant stars fell from the ‘sky’ above. Upon hitting some invisible barrier, they burst into a dozen smaller stars, all which rained down on them. Frisk gasped and bounced about to stop from being sliced open by pointed stars. Eventually, Prince Asriel appeared before them again. He swayed from side to side, leaving a trail of shining colors.

           “Asriel charges ‘Shocker breaker’,” Chara remarked.

           “How are you here? Am I dead?” Frisk asked in a rush.

           “I don’t know and no. But you will be if you stay still!” Chara scolded. Frisk turned around to face Prince Asriel.

           “You know…” Prince Asriel started. “I honestly don’t care about saving this world anymore.” He raised his hands and vanished again. Rainbow colored lightning flashed and struck the ground. Frisk hopped from place to place. They were barely able to dodge the strikes. Some of them, unfortunately, zapped through them. Fractures appeared in their soul. The attack ended.

           “Asriel calls on ‘Chaos Saber’,” Chara piped up.

          Frisk took a deep breath and took a step back. “What?!”

           “That’s his attack,” Chara explained. “It, uh… if I remember correctly… has something to do with swords.”

           “Okay. Swords. Um, what do I do?”

           “Um… what to do… what to do…” Chara bit their lip and then smiled. “Okay! I want you to find your cause. I want you to hold onto your hopes as tight as you can.”

           “What?”

           “Just trust me!”

          Frisk took a deep breath. What was their greatest hope? Immediately, the thought of their family came to them. The thought of receiving a pat on the head from their mother and a hug from Cammie and Holly. The memory of her father’s jokes came to mind. The hope that their family had given them came to their mind.

           “You hold on to your hopes,” Chara declared. “Your defense increased!”

          Prince Asriel cackled and held up his hands. Two giant, decorated swords appeared. Frisk gasped and jumped from side to side to avoid being sliced in half. Eventually, Prince Asriel held up both swords and slammed them together so close that both nearly grazed Frisk. They dematerialized. In their wake, small, sharp stars took place. Frisk skittered away from those.

           “Asriel charges ‘Shocker Breaker’,” Chara replied. “That’s the lightning one.”

          Frisk nodded. “I understand.” They reminded themselves of the hope they had- the dream of their long dead family and abusive father. Their sweet dream began to turn melancholic. Chara began to speak but stopped. The dream they held so tight did nothing for them.

           “All your progress… all their memories. I’ll turn them back to zero!” Prince Asriel Dreemurr crowed and vanished. In his wake, colorful lightning bolts crashed down into the multicolored ground that Frisk and Chara stood upon. Although many hit Chara, nothing happened to them. But when they hit Frisk, they cracked their soul.

           “Asriel readies ‘Chaos Saber’,” Chara commented. “That’s the one with the swords.”

          Frisk nodded and shook their head. Unfortunately, the heartbreaking echo of the deceased souls they once called their family stuck to them like cobwebs. Frisk smiled. Cobwebs; just like the time Muffet trapped them in the web. The thought of Muffet and her clan’s new future, new _hope_ , gave them determination. A crack was erased from their soul.

           “After I defeat you and gain control of the timeline… I just want to reset everything.” Prince Asriel raised his hands. Two swords appeared in his hands. Frisk yelped and danced from side to side to prevent the swords from slicing them in half. The swords clapped together. Stars burst from the impact. A few tore into Frisk.

           “Asriel charges ‘Shocker Breaker’.”

           “Again?!” Frisk asked in exasperation and winced. “Ow. Where…?” Their bag was completely empty. “Oh no. What-?”

          Chara’s gaze flicked between Frisk and Prince Asriel. “Dream, Frisk. Recall a dream that gave you hope, that smells of hope and love. Then hold it tight.”

          Frisk looked up at Prince Asriel. His wicked teeth gleamed and his eyes, black as the void with white pupils, watched them. They recalled their time in the puddles. They could imagine Prince Asriel and Chara splashing about. The dream of the long-lost siblings warmed their chest. A crack vanished from their soul. They could feel their bag filling up.

           “All your progress… everyone’s memories…” A mad gleam shined in Prince Asriel’s eyes. “I’ll set them all back to zero!” He vanished. Multicolored bolts of lightning struck the ground. Frisk yelped and bounced about. By the end of it, Frisk was feeling dizzy.

          Chara piped up, “Asriel readies Star Blazer.” The long dead human hesitated. “That’s the one with all the giant stars.”

          Frist nodded and set their hand in their bag. Heat seeped into their fingers and, in seconds, the feeling of love and determination calmed them and cleared their mind. It was as if they had been covered in mud and a hot shower had washed it all away. They looked up at Prince Asriel with clear eyes.

           “Then we can do everything ALL over again!” Prince Asriel waved his arms and vanished. Indeed, giant stars rained from the sky. They burst upon hitting an invisible barrier. Tiny stars clawed into them.

           “Asriel readies ‘Chaos Buster’.”

           “Chaos Buster?” Frisk wheezed. “What is that?”

           “I… don’t know,” Chara replied. “It might have something to do with color? But every one of his attacks have to do with color. A gun, I think?”

           “That doesn’t help.” Frisk set their hand in their bag. Their soul glowed with a new light, completely clean of cracks.

          Prince Asriel sneered, “And you know what the best part of all this is? You’ll DO it!” A giant gun-esc laser appeared in his hand. Three lines of light shot out at Frisk. Large, square bullets burst from the muzzle of it. All of them followed the three laser pointers like a guide. Frisk jumped about to get away from the lasers. Finally, the lasers turned off. Prince Asriel spun the machine. It filled up with a rainbow liquid. The muzzle opened and a giant rainbow laser burst forth. Frisk dodged the blast and stumbled to a stop.

           “Asriel calls on ‘Chaos Saber’,” Chara warned.

          Frisk took a deep breath and stared at Prince Asriel. Their eyes never left his. Although his gaze was dark and a malicious gleam sparked within him, Frisk could not see the evil behind it. They could only see the little flower that Frisk knew would make it to the surface. The hope that they will one day lead everyone to a beautiful life on the surface gave them new energy.

          Prince Asriel cackled. “And then you’ll lose to me again.” Two swords appeared in his hands. Frisk jumped from foot to foot to get away from his attacks. The stars were still very difficult to get away from.

           “Asriel readies ‘Chaos Buster’. That’s the laser gun one.”

          Frisk nodded. They recalled the hope of a new life that they held dear. One of the cracks vanished from their soul. Frisk smiled. “And again.” Prince Asriel smirked and pulled the laser gun out of thin air. Frisk gasped and raced away from the lasers. This was a very difficult attack to evade. Although standing in one place and then side-stepping during each attack would make their life much easier, their panic took away any real strategy in the situation.

           “Asriel readies ‘Shocker Breaker II’.”

           “Now what is _that?_ ” Frisk prompted.

          Chara shrugged. “It’s probably a stronger version of the lightning attack? My memory is sort of fuzzy on this.”

          Frisk gave them a brisk nod. They held onto their hope of freedom and happiness. “We _will_ get out of here. We _will_ save everyone. Then everyone _will_ be happy.”

           “And again!” Prince Asriel announced with a laugh and vanished. The lightning fell with more strength and more speed. Frisk yelped in fright and raced out of the way of each strike- or, at least, tried. Electricity tore through their soul. By the end of the bombardment of electrical attacks, Frisk could hardly stand.

           “Asriel readies ‘Galactica Blazing’.” Chara nodded. “Yes. That’s a bigger version of ‘Star Blazing’. Big stars.”

          Frisk took a deep breath. Their fingers brushed the inside of their bag. The dreams of freedom and happiness cleared their mind and mended their soul.

           “Because you want a ‘happy ending’,” Prince Asriel taunted. He waved his arms. Stars glimmered around his fingers. Stars blazed and crashed down upon the invisible barrier. Frisk staggered back into multiple attacks as they dodged others. Finally, a gargantuan star slowly descended and crashed into the barrier. Rings of stars bombarded the small human.

           “Asriel readies ‘Chaos Slicer’. That’s another version of the swords.”

          Frisk nodded and stuck their hand in their bag. They cleared their mind and mended their soul- for the most part. Prince Asriel sneered, “Because you ‘love your friends’.” Two swords appeared in his hands. The constant swinging of the massive weapons didn’t seem any different from the first attack. The stars that were sparked in the end didn’t seem any different.

           “Asriel readies Chaos Blaster.”

          Frisk recalled their hope of freedom and happiness. A crack in their soul vanished. They could feel a heat spread from their chest throughout their body. They smiled and looked back up at their friend whose mind had been warped by power and the feelings of malice and fear that the souls within him held.

           “Because you ‘never give up’.” The laser gun appeared in his hand. Frisk took a deep breath to steady their fluttering heart. They side stepped and paused. They were reminded of Sans’ and Papyrus’ attacks. It was a constant dance of moving and stopping. The end surprised them, however. The laser poured its pent-up energy in the air beside them. Rings of stars burst from the tip of the laser. Frisk hardly had the ability to process the last-minute adjustment to the attack before dodging.

           “Asriel readies ‘Shocker Breaker II’.”

          Their fingers brushed the last of the dreams that manifested themselves in their bag. Their bag oddly felt emptier than before.

          Prince Asriel shook his head with a demeaning chuckle, “Isn’t that delicious? Your ‘determination’. The power that helped get you this far… it’s going to be your downfall!” Lightning struck at Frisk. They yelped and raced away from the intense, hyper-fast attacks. By the end, they felt shaky.

           “Asriel prepares ‘Hyper Goner’,” Chara stated. “I… don’t know what that is.”

          Frisk took a deep breath and looked up at Prince Asriel. “I believe in you, Prince Asriel Dreemurr. Even if you defeat me, I’ll be right back here to meet ya.”

          Prince Asriel cackled. “Now _enough_ messing around! It’s time to purge this timeline once and for all!” He waved his hands and vanished. The colors vanished from the world. Everything turned black. If it wasn’t for the giant goat skull that appeared before them, Frisk would’ve considered the theory that they went completely blind. The giant skull laughed and opened its mouth wide. Frisk’s feet began to slip toward the monster. Chara gasped as the pull took them, too. The two turned and raced away from the skull. Yet it was like the time Muffet’s pet attacked them. No matter how fast they ran, the ground beneath them fell away at a faster pace. It helped that giant squares rushed past them like the spiders on the web. The black fell away under the blaze of white light that the goat skull burst into.

          Frisk collapsed. Chara staggered and put a hand to their head in confusion. Prince Asriel hovered above them. His teeth were bared in a sneer. Colors returned to the world. “... even after that attack, you're still standing in my way...? Wow... you really _are_ something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my _real_ power! Let's see what good your determination is against _this!_ ” The world turned white. Frisk raised their arm over their eyes to block the glare.

          Suddenly, they were no longer in the empty blackness of the void. They stood up. Around them were fragments of space. Platforms made from the shattered night sky floated about them. Frisk looked about. They were standing on a large chunk of space. Around them, blackness consumed the area. Before them, Prince Asriel floated. His horns grew and morphed into a wave away from his head. Two giant ears curled around his great head. His body had changed. It was as if Captain Undyne and Mettaton had merged their armor with a bit of Prince Asriel’s own flare. The chest was round and shiny white with a brilliant red heart in the center. Spiked, curled shoulders branched out. His arms were shaped like white gloves with hearts on the back of them. They hovered, detached from his body, beside him. His legs, also separate from his body, were put in a cylinder with the line that parted it swirling back and forth. What caught their attention the most were the two giant wings that swirled and changed colors.

          When Frisk attempted to move, they couldn’t. It was as if Captain Undyne held their heart in place or Muffet spun them into a web or Flowey had ensnared them in vines. All they could do was attempt to struggle but fail to get free. “Asriel blocks the way,” Chara breathed in absolute astonishment.

           “Urah hah hah! Behold my TRUE power!” Prince Asriel cried and waved his hands. Multicolored comets sprang from his hands. Frisk struggled and squirmed to get away. They failed. They hovered their hand next to their soul and pushed it away. The comets rushed around them. With Frisk’s guidance, their soul fluttered away from the multicolored projectiles. If it got too far away, Frisk’s vision would grow dark and their chest would begin to hurt. Thus, Frisk kept their soul close. Unfortunately, Frisk couldn’t dodge all of Prince Asriel’s attacks. One comet crashed into their soul. It promptly _shattered._

          Chara pounced on them. With one arm wrapped around their dizzy friend, they held out the other. The shattered pieces of their soul rejoined.

          *But it refused.

          Chara pulled back it back so that their soul, whole and blazing with warmth and light, stayed close to Frisk’s chest. Chara let go with a heavy wheeze. Frisk shook their head and looked about with bright eyes.

          Prince Asriel’s midnight-toothed smile widened. “I can feel it... Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you...” More comets blazed from his fingertips. Frisk, struggling to move, pulled their soul away from each attack. The attack clustered near the top and bottom as they flew in an arc. So, there were some larger spaces between clusters that Frisk could hide in to avoid harm.

          The attack ended. Frisk struggled a bit more. They failed to move even a single inch. Prince Asriel prompted, “Still you're hanging on...? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!” Comets blazed out from his hands and around Frisk. A few managed to crack into them. Frisk shook off the attacks. They continued to struggle. Prince Asriel goaded, “Ura ha ha... Still!? Come on... Show me what good your DETERMINATION is now!” More comets were launched at them.

          Frisk attempted to struggle again. They failed, again. They attempted to move their body. They failed. Chara held out their hands on either side of Frisk. Chara’s chest brushed the young human’s back so their hands appeared on either side and joined together before Frisk. “RESET” and “CONTINUE” sputtered in their hands. Chara frowned and tried harder. The buttons appeared and fizzled out again. They concentrated all their willpower on the “RESET” button. Frisk attempted to catch it. They attempted to reach their old SAVE point. Nothing happened. They tried again, combining both Frisk’s and Chara’s will together. Still, nothing happened. “It seems trying to _save_ us is impossible,” Frisk mused.

          Chara narrowed their eyes. “No. We still have some power. Maybe, with what little power we have, we can _save_ something else.” A large grin spread across Chara’s features. The fizzling reset and continue buttons Chara had been attempting to summon vanished. Replacing them was a sturdy button glowing in a rainbow of lights: “SAVE”. Frisk immediately put their hands to the button. Chara purred, “We can save our friends. Captain Undyne, Dr. Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, Mom, and Dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chara Dreemurr: Attack 15, Defense 15. HP 20. Determined to SAVE monsters, no matter the cost.  
> Asriel Dreemurr: Attack 20, Defense 20. HP 40. Confused.


	9. Save Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopes and Dreams.

          Frisk’s eyes grew round. They held out their hand to Prince Asriel’s soul. “P-Papyrus! I know you’re in there! Lost, but there!” Within the depths of Prince Asriel’s soul, something is resonating.

          Their vision flashed white.

          Frisk looked about. Prince Asriel was nowhere to be seen. The ethereal plane of the night sky stretched out all around them to create the ground. Blackness enveloped them all. Chara now stood next to Frisk. The young human looked up. Their eyes grew round in shock as they looked upon their skeletal friends for the first time. Papyrus stood there, solemn as if at a funeral, and Sans stood beside him. His stance was loose and his smile lazy. Their heads were enveloped in white flames. Frisk’s soul turned blue. Yet, they didn’t feel cold.

          Frisk looked back at Chara. Chara piped up, “They don’t recognize you. I don’t think they even know they’re here. Try saying something that will remind them of you or something about themselves.”

          Frisk hesitated and looked to Papyrus. “P-Papyrus. I, uh, need your help with a puzzle.”

          Papyrus struggled to hide his joy. “I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!”

           “just give up,” Sans stated with a depressed sigh. “i did.”

          Bones were summoned from the ground. Frisk backed up and then jumped over them. They were slower than either of their battles. It’s as if neither of them had their hearts in the attack. In fact, Sans was hardly even paying attention, much less aiding, in the fight.

          Frisk stood up straight and turned to Sans once the attack ended. “You look pretty down, Sans. Um… say, I have a good one: Why did the skeleton go to the dance alone? Because he had no _body_ to go with!”

          A small, exasperated chuckle was drawn from Sans and a heavy groan from Papyrus.

           “why even try?” Sans prompted.

           “THEN EVERYONE WILL…” Papyrus started.

          Frisk dodged the next attacks quite easily.

           “Papyrus, buddy. Why don’t you cook up more of that awesome spaghetti and we can all hang out?”

          Papyrus’ eyes light up for a moment before being smothered again. This time, he didn’t comment. Sans went on to mutter, “you’ll never see ‘em again.”

          Frisk jumped over a few more bones, ducked under some, and stayed stock still through a few others. Once the simple, slow attack ended, Frisk prompted, “Sans: you’re not really into this battle, are you? Why not take a break?”

          Sans nodded in agreement. Quite suddenly, the fire vanished from Sans and Papyrus. Sans’ lazy smile became genuine and his eyes lit up. “heh. nah, i’m rootin’ for ya, kid.”

          Papyrus grinned and set his gaze. “HUMAN! I COULD NEVER FORSAKE YOU!”

          A bright light flashed and Frisk was again stuck in place before the Angel of Death. Frisk smiled and held out their hand. “Captain Undyne! Come here! I know you’re in there!”

          Frisk’s soul turned green. They were standing before Captain Undyne, now. Her head blazed with dull, cold white fire. They smiled. “Captain Undyne! Wanna test your mettle again me?”

          The edges of Captain Undyne’s lips flickered in the beginning of a smile before fading. “All humans will die!” she barked and threw her hand toward Frisk. A blue spear shaft appeared in Frisk’s hand. They held up the weapon to block the incoming attacks. These, too, were slower than the fight they had endured in Waterfall.

          Frisk lowered their weapon as the last of the arrows vanished. “Captain Undyne! How about another fighting lesson?”

          A look of slight confusion and turmoil flitted across her features. She struggled to put down her desire to aid them. Instead, she growled, “You’re our real enemy.” Again, she sent rows of spears after them. Frisk deflected them all with ease.

          Frisk gave them a brilliant smile, just like the one Captain Undyne liked to wear. Captain Undyne watched them for a few moments. The fire vanished from her head. Captain Undyne gave them a wide smile. “Hah! Some humans are okay, I guess!”

          The young human and their spirit friend were standing before Prince Asriel. Frisk put on a wide smile. “Dr. Alphys! I know that you’re in there!”

          Frisk’s soul flipped upside down and turned yellow. Dr. Alphys, donned in her beautiful night-sky dress, stood before them. Her head was bowed and arms brought up close. Fire enveloped her head. “You hate me, don’t you?” she accused in a small voice. Miniature square Mettatons fluttered above them.

          Frisk guided their soul up and shot them out of the air. “No I don’t. Dr. Alphys, I will support you, even if the going gets rough.”

          Dr. Alphys flashed the smallest of smiles before fading. “All I do is hurt people…” Bombs flanking boxes drifted from the sky. Frisk activated a bomb and stood to the side to avoid its blast. They shot down the next and side-stepped it. After about half a dozen more bombs, the attack ended.

          Frisk smiled. “Dr. Alphys! I’m kind of curious: what’s the difference between a human soul and a monster soul?”

          Dr. Alphys’ eyes lit up. She could barely keep herself from answering. Suddenly, the fire vanished. She gasped, “N-no! I’m not alone. You guys do love me a-and I love you back!”

          Frisk’s soul flipped right-side-up and turned red. Prince Asriel stared down at them. Frisk took a deep breath. “Toriel! I know you’re there! Answer me!”

          Hardly a breath was wasted before Frisk and Chara faced Toriel and King Asgore. Both of them had a dark, sad look to them. Both of their heads were alight in white flame.

           “I have to leave if I can free everyone,” Frisk pointed out.

          For the slightest moment, Toriel’s sad look became hopeful. It fell again. “This is for your own good.”

           “Please, forgive me for this,” King Asgore rumbled.

          Yellow and blue fire swirled around them together. Frisk hopped about to avoid being hit by slow, gentle balls of fire.

          Frisk looked at King Asgore. “I _refuse_ to fight you.”

          A look of familiarity came over him for the slightest of moments. “This is my duty.”

           “No one will ever leave again,” Toriel stated in a forceful tone.

          Both boss monsters swept their hands toward Frisk. Their sunny yellow and crystal blue fire intertwined as it flowed toward Frisk.

          Frisk stared into King Asgore’s tired eyes. The solemn king stared right back at them. He did not comment. He could not comment. Toriel didn’t speak either. Frisk dodged another careful attack by the two of them. Once the fire was gone, Frisk turned to Toriel. Without even thinking about it, Frisk wrapped their arms around Toriel in a tight hug. “We’re going to be okay.”

          The fire vanished from her and from King Asgore. Toriel’s eyes grew round in shock and joy. “Your future is up to you now!”

          Frisk backed away with a brilliant smile and looked at King Asgore.

           “You are our future!” King Asgore declared.

          Their heat left them.

          Frisk and Chara stood before Prince Asriel Dreemurr. Their friends had been saved. Yet the feeling of closure did not come to them. There was still someone who needed to be saved. Something began to resonate in Prince Asriel’s soul, brighter and brighter. Chara smiled. “It seems that there is still one more person who needs to be saved.”

          Frisk matched their smile and reached out to his soul. “Asriel!”

           “Huh? What are you doing…?!” Prince Asriel’s voice cracked.

 

          _Leaves and grass cushioned their fall. Chara attempted to get up but whimpered in the pain of their hurt leg. They tipped their head back and called for help. Prince Asriel peeked out from behind a pillar. A look of concern crossed his features. Chara recoiled from the odd monster child. Prince Asriel attempted to speak with them. After a while, it began to work. He managed to calm Chara down. He helped Chara all the way back to their home in the kingdom. Queen Toriel answered them. Her healing magic mended the child’s battered body. Queen Toriel and King Asgore adopted little Chara. Chara and Prince Asriel quickly became best friends._

         

           “Wh… what did you do…? What’s this feeling? What’s happening to me?” Prince Asriel’s eyes grew round in shock. He shook his head and snarled, “No! NO! I don’t need _ANYONE!”_ He whipped his hands out toward them. Comets rushed out of his hands. They were so quick and so high in number that there was no way they could dodge. Surprisingly enough, the comets did little to hurt them.

          Tears glimmered in Frisk’s gaze. “Asriel, we’re your friends. We’re here to help you!”

           “STOP IT! Get away from me!” Prince Asriel barked. “Do you hear me?! I’ll tear you apart!” He raised his hands. Only a dozen slow comets sparked from his hands and lazily flowed around them.

          Frisk shook their head. “No, Asriel. We won’t give up on you.”

          Prince Asriel’s head dipped and his eyes shut. “…Chara? Do you know why I’m doing this? Why I’m fighting to keep you around?” Frisk pulled their soul toward them. Chara’s hands cupped over theirs. Emerald fire rained around them. Yet not one ball of flame got near to touching them. Prince Asriel looked up at them. The attack ceased. “I’m doing this… because you’re special, Chara. You’re the only one that understands me. You’re the only one who’s any fun to play with anymore.” Harmless emerald fire fell around them again. Frisk glanced back. Chara bit their tongue. Tears ran down their cheeks and chin. Eventually, the fire dissipated. “No. That’s not _just_ it. I… I… I’m doing this because I care about you, Chara. I care about you more than anybody else!”

          Chara made a squeaking noise that resembled “I care about you, too!” Green fire fluttered about them like teardrops.

           “I’m not ready for this to end. I’m not ready for you to leave. I’m not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…” Prince Asriel whined. Emerald fire rain around them. Chara’s breathing got funny for a moment. Frisk blinked away their own tears. Prince Asriel’s voice became shaky. He screamed, “So please… stop doing this! AND JUST LET ME WIN!” He waved his hands. They began to glow. His hands clapped together. The glow sharpened into a ray of light and a laser bore down on them. Frisk gasped. Their soul nearly left them. Chara screw shut their eyes and tightened their grip on Frisk’s hands. They tightened their concentration on Frisk’s soul. The laser bore down on them. Yet Frisk’s soul refuse to break. It cracked further and further.

           “STOP IT!” he screamed. The laser got brighter. Microfractures began to break off pieces of their soul. Chara kept them relatively in one piece. Frisk’s eyes half shut. Their overwhelmed brain began to shut down. “STOP IT NOW!” Prince Asriel screeched. The laser got brighter and bigger. Chara’s cheek brushed Frisk’s. Frisk’s legs were nearly ready to fall out from under them. Their heart fluttered. It became harder and harder for Chara to keep them together. Their physicality began to deteriorate. Frisk noticed that they could see through Chara in the very slightest.

          Eventually, the laser stopped. Chara nearly fainted. Frisk used the last of their tiny bit of strength to keep them standing up. Chara’s eyes fluttered open again as Prince Asriel spoke, “Chara…”

          Chara sniffled. “Asriel…”

          The world began to darken.

           “I’m so alone, Chara…”

          Chara nodded. “We’re together now, Asriel…”

          The world darkened further.

           “I’m so afraid, Chara…”

           “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, Asriel…”

           “Chara, I…” the world darkened further. “I…”

          Everything went black before flashing white.

          Suddenly, they were in the complete black, again. No stars or fractured night sky surrounded them. Before them, whimpering and crying with his face in his arm, was little Prince Asriel. Chara’s eyes grew round. Frisk straightened out their posture. They found more ability in their legs.

           “I’m so sorry,” Prince Asriel choked. He wiped his face and took a deep breath. “I always was a crybaby, wasn’t I, Chara?”

          Chara gave him a watery smile and stood beside Frisk. Prince Asriel chuckled. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time.” His smile fell. “As a flower… I became scared. I lost my ability to truly _love_. I lost… I lost myself. However, with everyone’s souls inside of me… not only do I have my own compassion back, but I can feel everyone else’s, too.” Prince Asriel shook his head. “They all love each other so much. They love you too, Frisk. I wish I could tell you how much everyone cares about you. I… I understand if you can’t forgive me. After all I’ve done. After I hurt everyone- after I hurt you.”

Frisk shook their head. “Asriel, I know what you did was awful but… but you meant well.”

          Chara piped up, “And you did bad things. But look at where we are now.”

          Prince Asriel looked up at Chara as if seeing them for the first time. “Ch-Chara…? Frisk?” He sniffled and spoke in a shaky voice, “So you’ve been here the whole time? With us?”

          Chara nodded. “Ever since Frisk fell down here, Azzy. I’ve been with you two every step of the way. I won’t leave you, either.”

          Frisk smiled in agreement. “They’ve been helping us all along. They even helped you when you took the souls!”

          Prince Asriel laughed. “You… you’re special. Both of you.” His smile fell. “But I can’t keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first… I think that it’s time that monsters finally go free.” He shut his eyes and raised his arms. He was lifted a foot or so into the ‘air’. Then, the souls twirled about him. He cried a silent chant. Purple, blue, cyan, yellow, gold, and green swirled around him. Innumerable upside down silver hearts swirled around them all.

          Somewhere, a hard _crraaaaaaaack!_ could be heard. It was as if something snapped a rock in half underwater. They could hear it, and knew it was nearby, but it felt faint, blurred, and far away.

          Prince Asriel landed before them. He sighed and looked up at them. “Frisk, Chara… I can’t keep maintaining this form. Soon I’ll… turn into a flower again. I’ll lose this. I’ll stop being myself. So, I think it would be best if… you just forgot about me.” He began to choke on his own words. “Just leave me here. Be outside, with everyone else.” Prince Asriel couldn’t continue to drag himself through his speech. Chara launched themselves at him. Their arms wrapped about him in a tight hug. Frisk followed suit. “Ha… ha… I don’t want to let go…” Prince Asriel chuckled.

          Eventually, they let go. He looked between them. “You’re going to do a great job, okay? Everyone’s going to be there for you. Don’t forget that, okay? …well, my time is running down. It’s… time for me to leave.”

           “N-no!” Chara stated and held up their hands. “You’re not leaving until you take this.”

           “What?” Prince Asriel and Frisk both stared at the thing in Chara’s hands. It was a monster soul- or, rather, what was left of it. Bits and pieces had defected so one half was completely ruined. The other half was jagged. “What’s… how?”

           “It’s your soul, Asriel,” Chara stated. “I kept it with me. I’ve been trying to fix it. I took pieces of dying monster souls before Mom left. When she did, I tried following her. I used everything I had to keep it together. When other humans came down here, I borrowed some of their determination to keep maintaining this. But when Frisk came… I couldn’t take anything from them. So, I just shared my determination. That’s why we’re so close, Frisk.”

           “But what does that mean?” Prince Asriel prompted. “My soul is broken. If you inject determination into me, I’ll become one of those… amalgamations.”

           “What if I give him mine?” Frisk prompted. “That way we can all stay together.”

          Prince Asriel shook his head. “I’m not going to kill you, Frisk. I’m… dead. I’ve been dead for a very long time. Just like Chara.” His bright scarlet eyes stared into Frisks. “But you? You have a really long life ahead of you. People love you quite a bit. You can… you can have my soul.”

          Chara looked between them. “You would do that?”

           “For me?” Frisk prompted and shook their head. “No you don’t have to.”

           “If I come back from the dead,” Prince Asriel stated in a slow voice, “Everyone will know I was Flowey. Who knows how long I will last? What if that soul doesn’t even work for me? I’ll turn back into a flower. Everyone who ever attacked me will know who I was. Mom would know that she’s nearly killed me so many times. No, I couldn’t do that. But you? You are what they have left. You know the human world. You can certainly help the monsters get into human society. I took the responsibility of freeing us into my own hands. Into _our_ own hands. Now it’s time for you to take the responsibility to keep it that way.”

          Chara though for a moment and turned to Frisk. “Do you… accept?”

           “Yes.”

          Chara held the broken soul in their hands for a moment. “Okay. Do you trust me?”

          Frisk nodded. “I trust you.”

          Chara smiled. “Good.” They sighed. “Now, just hold still. We’ll be back home soon.”

           “Promise you’ll stay with me,” Frisk blurted out.

          Prince Asriel smiled. “I promise. Even if this doesn’t work, and I become a flower, I’ll stay with you.”

          Chara looked between them. “I promise that I’ll stay with you- as long as you need. The afterlife can wait.”

          Frisk chuckled. “I promise that I won’t stop doing the right thing for everyone here. I won’t let you guys down.”

          Frisk could see their soul glowing in Chara’s left hand while Prince Asriel’s shimmered in her right. Then, Frisk’s consciousness began to fade. The figures around them darkened. Their mind began to shut down. They felt themselves hit the floor. They were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SAVE the world!


	10. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah this is the end, hmm? Everything's finally turning out okay.
> 
> I'll be putting my thoughts/writing process in the end notes if you want to read them. They're not too pertinent to Fallen Under, but there is some post-book fun facts about it there.

          Voices whispered around them. The sound of swaying trees, rustling brush, and thousands of feet and sets of breathing came to their ears. A soft blanket was over them and a bed was under them. Frisk opened their eyes. Planted in the backpack next to them was Flowey. Chara sat behind the both of them. Toriel watched them from a few feet away. King Asgore’s large form brushed through the entrance to their tent. He settled down beside Toriel.

          Upon seeing Frisk’s eyes open, Chara gasped, _“They’re awake!”_

          Flowey perked up. “Frisk?”

          Frisk blinked and looked up at him. “Huh…?”

           “They’re awake?” Toriel knelt beside them. “My child? Can you hear me?”

          Frisk looked up at her. “Y-yes. Yes! I can- can hear you!” Frisk sat up and looked about. “Where are we? What happened?”

           “You’ve been asleep for quite a while,” Toriel answered.

           “All night and morning,” King Asgore agreed. “It is nearly time for lunch.”

           “Really?” Frisk blinked and shook their head. They could only see colors and blurs. “Well then… I mean, I’m still awake. Has anyone tried to kill Flowey?”

          Flowey laughed. “Um… the better question is ‘who hasn’t?’!”

          Toriel’s smile wavered. “We… kept him alive for your sake. We don’t know exactly what happened. I was concerned over you. Flowey started yelling. Then everything went white. When we woke up, Flowey was beside you. He said that you were asleep and would soon wake up. Your breath still fogged a mirror, so we kept you both. But what exactly happened…?”

          Frisk shrugged. “It’s… quite the story, actually.” They smiled and glanced at Flowey. “Do you want to say it or shall I?”

           “How about us both.”

          _“Or all three of us,”_ Chara pointed out.

          Frisk smirked. “Yeah, that sounds fun, too! Oh! Where’s everyone else? Are they okay? Are we outside? Oh, that’s so cool! I mean- gahk!” Frisk grimaced in pain and clutched their chest in their hand.

           “Oh no! Frisk!” Toriel bowed her head and hovered a hand over their shoulder. “Calm down. You’ve just woken up.”

          Frisk nodded and leveled out their breathing. Eventually, the sharp pain in their chest subsided. “What is this?”

          Chara shook their head. _“I gave you Asriel’s soul, which was broken. That’s why it took you longer to wake up. You’ll be aching for a bit. However, once your soul replenishes itself, it will be fine.”_

          Frisk nodded and took a deep breath. “But what causes it?”

          _“Serious spikes in emotion,”_ Chara answered. _“It should only take a week at most to replenish itself. Once your soul fixes Asriel’s and the two merge fully, you will fine. Right now, both souls are getting used to being with each other.”_

          Frisk nodded. “Okay. That makes sense. Thank you.” They turned back to Toriel. “So! I’m fine, Mom! I just need to stay calm. Hehe. But, um, is lunch ready?”

           “Dear, I think you should sit down for a bit,” Toriel suggested. “What happened to your chest?”

          Frisk shook their head. “It’s just my soul getting used to being different, now. It’s fine. I’m okay. I promise. The pain’ll go away after, at most, a week.”

          Toriel looked at King Asgore. “What do you say?”

           “I say that they need lunch,” the king stated. “Maybe some tea. A good batch of tea is a good remedy to near any ailment.”

          Toriel nodded. “I… agree. Let’s just take it slow. I’ll carry Flowey. Let’s see if we can find a good lunch.” She picked up Flowey’s backpack in one hand and held out the other for Frisk. Frisk accepted her help immediately and shakily got to their feet.

           “Thanks, Mom!” Frisk followed Toriel out of the tent. Toriel strode alongside King Asgore as they walked through the giant camp. Tents, large and small, scattered around the clearing and even in the trees and the trail down from the Underground. As they walked, the found their friends.

           “Hey, Papyrus! Sans!” Frisk called and waved.

           “HUMAN!” Papyrus announced. “YOU HAVE BEEN ASLEEP FOR QUITE SOME TIME! HOW DO YOU FEEL?”

           “Good, thanks!” Frisk purred. “I just woke up, you know. We’re going to get lunch. Apparently, I need to stay calm and stuff for a little while and recover. But we managed to destroy the barrier! Flowey, my spirit friend, and I worked together will all the human souls and all the monsters souls in the Underground!”

           “you took _monster_ souls?” Sans prompted.

          Frisk nodded. “Mhm. Flowey had the power of all six human souls. So, he used that power to drain everyone of their souls somehow without killing you guys. He went a bit… crazy. We had a bit of a fight. But then we worked together to destroy the barrier! Mhm. He returned everyone’s souls, though. Obviously, I guess.”

           “That’s wicked!” Captain Undyne, Dr. Alphys at her side, appeared behind them.

          Frisk yelped and jumped. “Wha- oh! Captain Undyne! Dr. Alphys! Hey!” Frisk waved at them.

          The two women waved back. Dr. Alphys stated, “Your soul is stable and your level of determination was appropriate. Is it still so? Are you feeling any better? Do you feel any adverse effects? Queasiness, inability to think straight, or other?”

          Frisk hesitated. “Well, my chest really hurts sometimes. But my spirit friend said it’s okay. The pain will go away soon.”

          Dr. Alphys nodded. “You have a very interesting soul. Might I ask _whose_ soul you have?”

          Frisk thought for a moment. “Well… it’s a very, very old soul. My spirit friend… they preserved his soul. They won’t tell me exact _how_ they had that soul or even _who_ it is. They just told me it belonged to an old friend who’d died a very, very long time ago. Their friend had died very young. His very last wish had been to help people. But he was very young. Some people attacked. But he didn’t want to hurt anyone so he didn’t fight back. My spirit friend… they drove them off. But in the process _they_ were gravely injured. Their friend’s last wish was to have made a positive mark on the world. To give people happiness and to hope that one day people would stop their violence.” Frisk smiled and chuckled. “But the both of them died so neither could fulfill their own wishes. My spirit friend ended up taking their friend’s soul and holding it tight until they found me. I reminded them of their friend, apparently. Hah.”

          Chara stared at them. _“You are the best liar that I have ever met.”_

          Frisk smiled back at them. Dr. Alphys tipped her head. “H-how is that possible? Monster souls are destroyed instantly. Monsters can absorb other monster souls.”

           “They weren’t a monster. Oh! Cool!” Frisk perked up. “Did you make tea already?”

          King Asgore gave them a confused look before shaking his head. “No. Captain Undyne did that. Captain Undyne and Papyrus made lunch for us.”

Papyrus puffed out his chest. “NOTHING BUT THE VERY BEST, OF COURSE, FOR OUR ANGEL! THE ONE WHO HAS FREED US!”

          Captain Undyne nodded. “Plus, tea is fun to make. So, it’s a win-win!”

          Frisk laughed. “Aw! That’s awesome! Thank you! You guys are the best.”

          Toriel led them to their seat and then sat down beside them. King Asgore sat down on Frisk’s other side. Flowey was set on the table. Once everyone else was settled around the table, the spaghetti that had been made as well as the tea was passed out to everyone.

           “So!” Captain Undyne announced. “What’s the story, kid?”

          Frisk perked up. “Oh! Flowey? Want to start or should I?”

           “You start,” Flowey invited.

           “Okay!” Frisk turned back to Captain Undyne. “So! Flowey took everyone in his vines and took out their souls. The whole world turned white and then became black again. When I looked around, I found that I could see! Like, see like everyone else! Beside me stood my spirit friend. They were human, too. They kind of looked like my sister. Anyway, they helped me up. Then Flowey appeared! But he looked really weird. He had this really evil look to him. He said something like: ‘What? Don’t you remember me? I’m your best friend!’ Then he turned into this monster. Like, a giant plant monster. He had huge cactus arms with cactus flower petals for fingers. He had huge vines everywhere that kept him in place in this weird non-existence place. He had this giant mouth that spat lasers! A-and a bunch of eyes that were different colors to represent the souls!”

           “A giant plant monster…?” Captain Undyne prompted.

          Frisk nodded. “Yeah! I know it’s pretty weird, but it’s true! And then the world turned into all kinds of colors! A-and then he had all kinds of rainbow attacks. L-like lightning and stars and he even had swords that gave off sparks when they clanged together!” They turned to Flowey.

          Flowey nodded. “Mhm. I had this really cool lightning attack that was a rainbow of colors. Then I could also summon giant stars that burst into tiny stars. I had wicked swords that I could slap together to create sparks. I also had a gun that shot boxes and a giant rainbow laser. You should’ve seen the way Frisk dodged! It was awesome! I could hardly land a hit on them!”

           “My spirit friend helped me,” Frisk agreed. “And apparently this was, like, some sort of different plane of reality. He took the determination and power of seven human souls! Well, the equivalent of seven human souls! So, the spirit taught me that if I hold onto my hopes and stayed determined, I can give myself the ability to focus and gave myself the ability to heal! Heal myself, that is. My spirit friend didn’t get hurt. Which was weird because they were in some sort of physical form.”

          Flowey agreed, “Yeah it was kind of frustrating that Frisk would heal themselves. The human souls didn’t like hurting Frisk, either, so it was hard to control them. But eventually I was able to gain complete control of my power and tore the timeline apart! It was super awesome!”

          Frisk laughed. “Yeah! Except for the fact that I became, like, ninety percent paralyzed. I could only move my arms. It was like a mix between you, Captain, holding my soul in place with green magic and Flowey’s vines. It was so _weird!_ But I was still able to stay alive. But… one time I actually died. It stunk.”

           “Yeah it was weird,” Flowey agreed. “I thought I won. But then they came back to life!”

           “My spirit friend used their energy to keep me together,” Frisk agreed. “And then you’ll never guess what happened!”

           “Never!” Flowey agreed.

          Frisk chuckled. “You guys appeared! It was so cool! I was able to reach out to Flowey’s very soul, which was just an amalgamation of you guys’ souls, and find you guys!”

          Captain Undyne huffed, “That would explain that weird dream. I thought for sure I was fighting someone… someone terrible who stood in our way.”

          Frisk nodded. “Mhm! I had to try and make you all remember who you were! Flowey tried suppressing your memories of me to make it more difficult. But it didn’t work.” Frisk smirked. “I mean, obviously. Once I found you guys and freed you from being Lost Souls, we were able to reach out to Flowey!”

           “That when the trouble for me came in,” Flowey agreed. “I got all these memories… memories of everyone- from everyone. Like baking a pie with a husband and children. Or fighting the king to gain his respect. Being a junior scientist. Finding an injured human and becoming friends. Getting married with an awesome woman. Becoming a famous star. O-or becoming a royal scientist. I soon realized who I was. I immediately let go and turned back into… me. Heh. Their spirit friend found their friend’s soul and gave it to Frisk. Frisk passed out when that happened. Then I broke the barrier and returned all of the souls.”

          Frisk nodded with a great amount of enthusiasm. “Yep! Super cool, right? It _sounds_ like fantasy but I assure you that those human souls and everyone in the underground put together is a force to be reckoned with.” Frisk took a sip of their tea to help with their now dry throat. A chill began to nip at their veins. They looked about and turned to Flowey. “Flowey? Are you a bit chilly?”

           “Huh? Uh… no. Why?”

          Frisk shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel a bit cold is all. Funny; it’s supposed to be summer.”

           “Perhaps you are confused,” Dr. Alphys stated. “Your body, I mean. Sometimes humans can feel cold for limited amounts of time in heat. It is unknown why this happens, but it’s extremely temporary.”

           “Oh okay. Thanks!” Yet, as they ate, Frisk couldn’t shake the feeling of cold. It wasn’t as if it was bad. It was just as if a dying air conditioner was attempting to cool them in a warm house.

          By the time lunch was done, Toriel was ushering them back to their tent. Her great paw wrapped around Frisk’s tiny hand. “Thank you very much for lunch! You are very generous. Come, Frisk. Let’s sit down. How about we read a book?”

          Frisk stuck their tongue out. “W-well… okay… but why can’t I play outside for a minute? Just look around the camp, maybe?”

          Toriel shook her head. “Not until you’re better, my child. You’re very young and have been through quite the ordeal. I do not want to see you running about until I am very sure that you are alright.”

          Chara sighed, _“Oh, Mom. She’s… you know, she wasn’t this clingy when I was alive. ‘guess us dying kind of strung her up a bit.”_

          Frisk shot them a sad look but otherwise didn’t comment. The chill that had taken them deepened. It was not yet uncomfortable. But they would be grateful if it went away.

          Toriel let go of them once they were in the tent and sat down beside Frisk’s bed. She set Flowey down on Frisk’s other side as they, too, settled down. “Now, what book would you like to read, my child?” Toriel prompted. “I have a book on snails, plants, and history. I’ll be getting more books later, don’t worry.”

           “Um… can we read the book about plants?” Frisk prompted.

           “Of course!” Toriel looked through a bag nearby until she pulled out a thick green book.

           “Do you have flowers in there?” Frisk prompted. “I’d like to know about the useful flowers! Besides you, Flowey.”

          Flowey stuck his tongue out. “Oh, I see how it is. Tired of me already, huh?”

          Toriel flipped through her book. “Hmm… ah! These are all surface plants, unfortun- oh. Hehe. These are all surface plants, _fortunately._ I simply cannot get used to living on the surface.” She let out a happy sigh and cleared her throat. Frisk listened to her every word with complete attention. They loved having someone read to them. It was fun. However, what would be more fun at the moment would be going outside and seeing how everyone else was doing.

           “Frisk?” Flowey prompted. “Are you okay?”

          Toriel’s attention immediately snapped to Frisk. She stopped herself in mid-sentence to look over Frisk. “Oh dear! You are shivering!”

           “H-huh?” Frisk took a deep breath. “Oh. Oh, I don’t… hehe. I’m still feeling pretty cold.”

          Toriel clicked her tongue. “Oh, I’m going to go get Dr. Alphys. You wait here. Put on a blanket.” Toriel tugged their blanket from the foot of their makeshift bed and threw it over them. Frisk bundled up in the fluffy blanket. They heard Toriel leave.

           “Chara?” Frisk prompted. “What does this mean?”

          _“I… I don’t know,”_ Chara confessed. _“If it’s magic, then you should be_ warm _. Asriel’s power was fire, just like his parents. Asriel took my soul as a child just a bit older than you. He didn’t have any adverse effects like this. …unless humans can’t absorb monster souls that well? Maybe there’s an effect that we don’t know about?”_

          Frisk shrugged. “I-I don’t know. Frankly, I j-just want t-to know why I’m s-so cold.”

          Dr. Alphys shuffled into the tent, Toriel and King Asgore close behind. Frisk took the blanket off themselves. The scientist took out a notepad and turned it on. “Start recording.” She set the back of her hand to Frisk’s forehead. “Human Subject #007. Subject is cold to the touch and shivering.” She took out a few medical devices and began to inspect their heartrate, blood pressure, and anything else those devices could measure. “Body is functioning normally. Vitals are stable. Nothing is amiss other than temperature.” Dr. Alphys set a cup-shaped device on their head and moved it across their forehead. “Subject’s temperature is reading 34°C. Yet heartrate is completely normal as are all other vital systems. Pause recording.” Dr. Alphys clicked her tongue.

          Toriel prompted, “What are you thinking, Doctor?”

           “I am thinking that this might be a side effect of all that magic that they endured battling a god. Or it’s a side effect of having a monster soul. Or it’s a side effect of having a _broken_ monster soul.” Dr. Alphys took out their soul-reading equipment. She drew out their soul. It was still a bright scarlet. Most of it held a silver aura. Other parts were missing the silver aura. “Start recording. Soul is stable. Determination levels are stable and of normal potency. Monster soul is still broken but stable. Healing is coming along at a faster rate than previously theorized. Perhaps action has accelerated healing?” Dr. Alphys put away her supplies. She took out a knife.

          Flowey hissed, “What?! A knife?”

           “Knife?” Frisk jumped and stared at the gold and white blur that was Dr. Alphys.

           “Monster soul gives off a particular glow when presented with a sudden, surprising threat,” Dr. Alphys stated. “Testing weapon effectiveness.” She attempted to get near to Frisk. King Asgore grabbed Toriel’s hands from behind her and held them tight.

          Frisk scooted back a bit. “U-um, I don’t know about this.” Dr. Alphys ignored them and instead shuffled toward them again. Soon enough, Frisk was backed up against the tent wall. “D-Doctor? I don’t like this.” When Dr. Alphys continued to ignore them, and even set her hand on Frisks’ shoulder to keep them still, Chara bristled and phased into them. Their eyes flashed scarlet. Chara shoved Dr. Alphys back with a bark, “I said get away from me!”

          Dr. Alphys hissed in pain and dropped the knife. Shaky on her feet, the doctor stuttered, “S-Subject s-struck when th-th-threatened. La-lashed out with c-c-cold magic. Pause recording.”

          Captain Undyne rushed into the tent. Her bright orange eye immediately trained on Dr. Alphys. Her shoulders were cold. The coat over the arm she’d used to wield the arm was completely frozen. Chara stared at her in complete shock. Had they… done that? Had they frozen Dr. Alphys’ arm? Captain Undyne took off Dr. Alphys’ lab coat. Immediately Frisk’s blanket was around the doctor’s shoulders. The Captain wrapped her arms around Dr. Alphys and held her close. “Damn you’re _cold!_ You’re not supposed to get cold. Did you do this?” Her sharp eye turned to Frisk. Her mouth twisted into a wicked, snarling grin.

          Toriel tore herself out of King Asgore’s grip and rushed to stand between Frisk and Captain Undyne. “Yes, they did. _Alphys_ drew a knife on them! Of course they’d reciprocate!”

           “Do you have _any_ idea how bad cold is for _Dr._ Alphys?” Captain Undyne barked and stood up. She still held Dr. Alphys tight in her arms.

          King Asgore set his hand on Toriel’s shoulder. “Calm down. There’s no need to fight. Dr. Alphys was doing what she thought was right. She wouldn’t have hurt Frisk.”

           “B-Besides,” Dr. Alphys piped up, “This is a huge d-discovery! Frisk has gained magic- a power only m-monsters and a-ancient have. Thank you, C-Captain.”

           “I’m not letting you freeze,” Captain Undyne pointed out. Her expression softened to a grin. “Just try not to get yourself frozen!”

           “I-I will try n-not to,” Dr. Alphys answered. “Th-thank you. I-I just n-need to know wh-what is happening t-to Frisk. Such a p-power isn’t in h-humans- not anymore. M-magic was prevalent in h-humans a while a-ago but not now.”

          King Asgore set his paw on Dr. Alphys’ chest. It sparked in harmless, warm fire. Dr. Alphys stopped shivering. “Now, try not to draw a knife on our child this time.”

          _“Can I come back?”_ Frisk prompted.

          Chara shook their head. _“No. Not until I know it’s safe. That scientist is crazy.”_

          Dr. Alphys gave him a sharp nod. “Thank you, your majesty. I will refrain from doing so in the future. I would not have harmed your child. I wished to draw an immediate reaction from the soul. I see I have found one.” She shuffled past Toriel, who was being held back by King Asgore, and arrived before Frisk. They narrowed their eyes at Dr. Alphys. “Your eyes have changed color.”

           “They do that,” Chara agreed. “I protect Frisk, okay? You scared them with that knife.”

           “You speak in third person.”

           “Yes. I’m Frisk’s spirit friend.” Chara sat up straight and stared at her with cold eyes. “I defend them when they need my help. We’re tied together.”

           “I will cause you no harm,” Dr. Alphys reassured them. “I desire to live further. Harming you is not only contradictory to my research, but will lead to a very quick death. As I desire my research to be consistent, and I wish to keep living, I will not bring harm to Frisk.”

          Chara narrowed their eyes. “…fine. I’m still here. I’m _always_ here. Never forget that.”

          Frisk’s eyes faded from scarlet to foggy brown. They shook their head. “Oh. They’re very protective of me. Thank you f-for not actually attacking me. Um! Why did you get cold? Did I summon ice?”

           “Yes.” Dr. Alphys stated. “You have lashed out at me with magic. Start recording. Subject has expressed magic.” She set the temperature device on their head again. “Temperature has stabilized at 37°C. Newfound ability of cold-based magic was the most likely cause of their severely cold temperatures. Stop recording. Save file.” She gathered up the rest of her supplies, including her knife and notepad, and put it away. “The only thing I can recommend is the same thing for all other children: practice their magic and get them used to controlling it.”

           “Thank you, Dr. Alphys,” King Asgore stated. “We will get on that immediately. You are dismissed.”

           “Your welcome, your majesty. If anything else arises, I am here.” Dr. Alphys and Captain Undyne left the tent.

          Toriel knelt before Frisk and took their hands in her paws. “It seems that we have a lot to look forward to, hmm?”

          Frisk smiled. “I have magic now. Hah. I didn’t think that would happen. So now I get to practice, right?”

          King Asgore dipped his head in a nod. “Yes, Frisk. We’ll get you the training you need. In fact… do you wish to go outside and see what we can do?”

          Frisk nodded. “Yeah!”

          Toriel took a deep breath. “If that will help you, my child. Let’s take it slow.” She aided Frisk to their feet. The young human, Flowey’s backpack over their shoulder and one hand in Toriel’s, followed them outside.

          Flowers were blooming. Birds were singing. On days like these, kids like them should be out enjoying a nice game of catch.~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Undertale is one of my favorite games of all time. It's inspired me and entranced me. It's a beautiful game with a great fan-base. It's the only game I've ever played that I will consider the Alternate Universes. Underfell is one of my favorites, though I am interested in Errortale and Handplates. I'm a sadist, aren't I? I gained most of the inspiration to write this after reading Kaitogirl’s Underfell comic. (http://fav.me/d9n7lu9) Check it out. It’s amazing.
> 
> I think that this is going to be the only Undertale fan-novel I write. Maybe I'll add some Post Fallen Under drabbles. But this may be the last fanfiction you ever see me write- of Undertale at least. It's not that I no longer like Undertale. Far from it. However, this novel has drained me quite a bit. I can't even work on the PTA sketches anymore. I'm just... done. I'm laying this to rest.
> 
> I decided to start making this fan-fiction on a whim in early November. It wouldn't be too long. Maybe a few chapters. Then, uh, this happened. I thought it would be cool to have the main protagonist be blind. Thus, Flowey and Chara have a larger part to play. I knew that Frisk was going to be overly caring and generous. They would be kind to a fault. I re-wrote the ending half a dozen times, at least, because I kept switching between letting them commit suicide and die, or having then attempt suicide and fail. I knew from the beginning that Frisk was suicidal but didn't know whether to have them leave their depression behind or let it catch up to them. Having magic was a last-minute decision.  
> In one ending, Asriel was alive. Chara split his and Frisk's soul in two and combined them. Frisk had half a green soul and half a monster soul. Asriel had half a monster soul and have a red soul. As Frisk's determination was cut in half, their kindness replaced it. In the end, I thought it more prudent to keep Asriel's memory in peace rather than stir up cold ashes.
> 
> Sans and Flowey instantly hated each other. I knew that since before I started writing. I was a bit on the fence about how Flowey and Papyrus would react to each other. I decided that Flowey would be nicer to Papyrus to spite Sans. However, after a while, Flowey began to genuinely like Papyrus.  
> Toriel is desperate for her children and has driven herself crazy because they're dead. It's one of the reasons she and Asgore separated. She loves him, but she was mad with grief and hate. Whenever a human child would come down, she became extremely possessive and tried to take them as her own. Most snuck out while she wasn't looking. The Soul of Patience died there, though. When Frisk, who was a spitting image of Chara, fell down, the memories of her dead children arose. She struggled between violent hate, overwhelming grief, and desperate love. After the book ends, she becomes extremely possessive of Frisk and hardly ever lets them out of her sight. That's one of the reasons she became their teacher. After they go to the next grade, she'll become principal. She re-married Asgore because Frisk loved him.  
> Sans loves Papyrus down to the point where he'd degrade himself to a lowly lackey to stay by him. However, he is quite spiteful and very jealous. So, he's not a fan of Captain Undyne for stealing him. After Frisk became friends with Papyrus and they talked over the phone, Sans grew an intense hatred for Frisk. However, after they attempted to kill themselves to set them all free, Sans respected the kid and grew to like them. Post book, Sans grows distant with Papyrus and frequently gets in fights with him.  
> Captain Undyne hardly changes at all. She likes Papyrus and withstands Sans. Her true love is Dr. Alphys and she'll defy anyone to keep her lover safe. Dr. Alphys tries to make herself emotionless. If she feels emotion, the horrible ache of despair and self-hatred and depression from all her wrongdoings would literally kill her. After being saved by Frisk, she began to relax.  
> King Asgore was heavily depressed because he had to kill children. He didn't want to do it. He loved children. He deeply loved his wife and the human child they'd adopted. So, he sent out people he trusted to kill the children. Over the years, very few children ever met him directly. But the guilt of leading children to their deaths haunted him. He became just as depressed and suicidal as Frisk if not more so.
> 
> This is the longest piece of literature I've ever written at roughly 117,000 words long, not including chapter titles and names. Currently, my longest original novel is sitting at 114,431 words... so far.
> 
> I'm considering turning this into an original novel. If anyone's interested, I can keep updates on how it's going. For example: I changed the Underground into slaves wanting to be free rather than a barrier. Haha I've already started sketching out designs on paper. If anyone wants to see them, just ask. I doubt it will come to fruition, however.

**Author's Note:**

> I will be submitting ever Monday Wednesday, and Friday! So look forward to that!


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